The Origins of Us
by QueenofOld
Summary: A Rogan lover's rewrite of X Men Origins: Wolverine. Rogue meets Wolverine when she's drafted as the newest recruit of Team X and he immediately develops a soft spot for her. What will happen when Logan discovers Strykers real plans for Marie?
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings: Will contain strong sexual content and violence.**

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! Just writing for fun! No money made here...TRUST me!  
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**Author's Notes: A reviewer who reviewed my last story under the name "Cortney" inspired the plot bunny for this story when she suggested I create a story that places Rogue in "Origins". Thanks for the idea Cortney! Hope you all enjoy!  
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* * *

"There's no smoking in here."

Logan raised his eyebrow and turned to Agent Zero. He was the brave, stupid soul who had dared deny the Wolverine his cigar.

He growled and defiantly lit the half-chewed/half-smoked roll of paper and tobacco, "Fuck off."

Agent Zero stood and began reaching for his pistol, but Stryker entered with Victor and Wade, "I hope you boys are getting along."

Zero rolled his eyes and sat back down in his seat, "He would be much better to get along with if he was fitted with a shock collar."

Logan growled and clenched his fists as Victor took a seat next to him. Stryker raised his brows expectantly, "Don't get so comfortable gentlemen. We still have some team members to pick up."

Wade rolled his eyes, "...And then orientation will begin. Cookies and juice will be served afterwards, so be sure not to spoil your appetite on those in-flight peanuts."

Everyone groaned in unison as they stood and filed out toward the hangar.

24 hours later, Stryker stood in his private office, staring down at medical documents detailing every one of his team members. Agent Zero entered, making him glance up briefly, then look back down, "I need the perfect soldier, Zero. These men are good...but not one of them is invincible...if I could somehow combine all of their powers...I could create a new breed of super soldier."

"That's impossible, sir. Any one of us would be ripped apart by the sheer force of all the combined mutations..."

Stryker smirked and slowly slid a file across the table. One word written across it immediately caught Zero's attention.

"Rogue."

* * *

She ran. She ran until it felt as though as her lungs would burst...but still, it wasn't enough. A scream ripped from her throat as a rock hit the back of her head, immediately knocking her off balance and sending her careening toward the ground.

Angry voices echoed in her ears as she felt fists and feet descend upon her body, kicking, punching and bruising.

"Get her!"  
"Kill the witch!"  
"Kick 'er ass! ...but don't touch 'er skin."

The pain gave way to unconsciousness just after the sound of Wolverine's roar rang in her ears.

* * *

Logan stood on the opposite side of the two way window with his arms crossed, watching as the nurse tended to the unconscious girl. According to Stryker, she was the newest member of Team X.

Despite the fact that her face had been horrendously distorted by two black eyes, busted lips and a swollen jaw, he could tell she was young...too young. He continued to stare at her even as the door opened behind him.

"She's too young."

Victor stepped up next to his brother, "You and I were killin' when we were way younger than her."

"Yeah well, we're...different..."

"How are you so sure she's not?"

Logan looked at Victor and sighed before turning back to the girl. Stryker entered, "She may look harmless, but she's deadly."

"How so?"

Stryker smirked, "Just leave her be. I want her to stay isolated until she heals. You boys get some rest. Big day tomorrow."

Logan laid down that night, but was completely unable to sleep. Victor didn't have nightmares. He was completely at peace with the horrific memories of past wars, but Logan was forever haunted by those images...

He sat up in bed and tossed on a wife beater on before getting up and wandering the halls of the underground bunker that made up the Team X headquarters. It was a old, military bunker built by a bunch of paranoid politicians who had feared a nuclear holocaust. It contained a mess hall, kitchen, several rooms, offices and an extensive infirmary.

Before he knew it, he came across the girl's room. Thinking of the young lady inside, he slowly opened the door to her room and slipped inside. Her breathing was shallow, but steady.

Logan slowly approached and looked down at her pitiful, swollen face. He sighed and stared down at her for several moments before slowly bringing a hand up to brush his hand across her forehead.

Suddenly, the most intense pain he'd ever felt in his entire life seized his entire body. The last thing he remembered was hearing the girl take in a deep gulp of air before his world fell into blackness.

* * *

"Jimmy...Jimmy..."

Logan swallowed and slowly opened his eyes to see Victor standing above him, "Hey runt...damn. It's been hours."

"Hours? What happened?"

Victor started to answer, but Stryker's voice cut him off as he walked toward the bed, "You touched our newest team member. I told you I wanted her isolated until she heals. Rogue's mutation is...unique."

"It feels like she almost killed me."

Stryker smirked as Logan gingerly sat up in bed, "Yes my friend...she can kill any one of us with the mere touch of her finger...when she touches a mutant, she takes on their gift. It's possible that she could permanently retain their powers...if the exposure process is monitored carefully..."

"So what, she has poisonous skin?"

"When she's injured or under an intense amount of stress, she's completely unable to control her skin...but when she's calm and in a controlled state, she can keep her mutation at bay."

Logan pulled the monitoring equipment off of him and swung his legs over the side of the bed, "Where is she now?"

Stryker glanced at Victor before turning back to Logan, "She took on your gifts, Logan...as well as some of your personality traits...and memories. She's in her room...trying to adjust."

"Adjust to what?" asked Logan as he stood and cracked his neck.

Victor took a step forward, "To having you in her head, Jimmy."

Logan raised a brow, "You mean she has my thoughts? My memories?"

Stryker spoke up, "And more importantly...your mutation. Your healing factor healed her from her injuries."

"So she's OK now?"

Victor smirked, "OK? Within a matter of minutes, you gave her the ability to hear and smell everything within a 4 mile radius. Would you be OK if you suddenly woke up feral?"

Logan rolled his eyes, but realized Victor had a point. He would leave the girl be...for now.

Stryker kept her isolated for another day before calling the entire team together for a briefing. As they all filed in and sat down in their perspective seats, Stryker entered followed by Rogue.

Logan immediately perked up when he caught sight of her. She was beautiful...and not in that Baywatch Babe way. From her red, heart shaped lips to her large, soulful brown eyes, each of her delicate features combined to create a creature that boasted out-of-this-world beauty.

Below the neck was even more impressive. She wore a tank top, an oversized hoodie, and scrub bottoms, but even through the unflattering clothes, he could tell she had a figure that was a force to be reckoned with.

He was brought back to the present when Wade leaned over and whispered, "Might want to close your mouth before you make a puddle."

Logan immediately snapped his mouth shut and shot Wade a warning growl before reluctantly turning his attention back to Stryker, who directed Rogue to a seat in the front of the room, facing the rest of the team.

She met the curious stares head-on, although Logan could tell she was clearly uncomfortable with the multiple sets of male eyes drinking her in. She briefly allowed her eyes to connect with Logan's before she quickly turned her full attention back to Stryker.

"Gentlemen, I called this meeting because I'd like you to meet our new team member. Her name is Rogue...and she has an amazing gift. She will need training, so I'll be recruiting one of you to stay behind while I form a team that will assist me on reconnaissance missions. I'll brief those individuals separately."

Logan watched her as she followed Stryker out of the room.

An hour later, Stryker called him into his office, "Logan...I want you to be in charge of our new recruits training."

Logan immediately began to protest, "Why me?"

"Because she's retained some of your mutation...your enhanced hearing, sense of smell and agility are all in her now...and she needs to know how to control it."

He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair before turning away, "I dunno about this..."

"What's there not to know?"

"Well, for starters, I signed up to be a damn team member, not a babysitter. You think I can honestly get along with some teenager? What do we have in common? Music? Our taste in men?"

Stryker sighed, "As of yesterday, your mutation is what you have in common, and as far as this operation is concerned, that's all I give a damn about."

Logan glared at Stryker and grumbled, "Fine."

* * *

**Review please! **


	2. Chapter 2

It was the morning after the rest of the team had departed for a trip to Europe. Logan stood outside of Rogue's door, arguing with himself over whether it might be too early to start her training.

Suddenly, the heavy door opened. Instead of a sleepy eyed teenager, he found her standing there, alert, fully dressed and her hair pulled back in a neat, tight pony tail.

She bit her lip and looked down before murmuring, "I heard you..."

"Oh...right", he cleared his throat, "We need to eat breakfast before we get started. Come on."

He turned and walked away as she silently trailed behind him. They went to the kitchen, where Logan pulled out copious amounts of bacon and eggs. He fried everything and fixed his own plate, leaving the rest of the food in the pans for her to serve to herself.

She quietly piled four pieces of bacon and a small pile of eggs onto her plate before sitting down across from him.

Logan was impressed when she ate all of her food, then stood up for seconds. As he shoveled the last bit of egg into his mouth, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and sighed, "So you're gonna train me..."

Logan just grunted in response as he stood and placed his plate in the sink, "Are ya done?"

Rogue nodded and stood before placing her plate in the sink alongside his. He turned and walked out of the room, leading her to the gym.

He laid two mats down on the floor and motioned for her to sit before sitting directly across from her, "The enhanced hearing...the smell, it's no good if you don't know how to control it. I don't even know how long you're gonna retain it, so may as well teach you to use it to your advantage."

"How do I do that?"

"First, learn the sounds of your own body. The beat of your heart, the breath in your chest...the rumble of your stomach. Hear them. Concentrate on them. Memorize them...then completely tune them out."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "How long does it take for you to do that?"

"Depends on how hard you work. Now shut your mouth and start."

Rogue rolled her eyes before lowering her head and taking a deep breath. For several moments, she stayed quiet and listened the various sounds in her body. The nudge of his hand on her arm made her open her eyes and look up at him.

"Alright. Now try to tune out the sounds of your body and listen for your surroundings."

She nodded and closed her eyes again as she began listening to the sound of doors closing in the distance...a heater kicking on...muffled voices in the next room.

Suddenly, Rogue felt a cup of ice water get tossed over her head. She shook her head and sputtered, "What the hell?"

"Hear, identify and move on so that you can start listening out for signs of danger."

Rogue wiped her face and stood to her feet, "The hell are you talkin' about? I was listening!"

"If you had been, you woulda heard me twirling that cup by your head for a full three minutes."

She glared and yanked off her jacket, revealing a dampened, white tank top. He quickly averted his eyes and set the cup down, "Now try again."

Logan watched her intently when she closed her eyes again.

She was so fucking pretty. He found himself becoming increasingly curious about her...

Why had she agreed to join Team X? Exactly how old was she?

After a few moments, he began inching toward her, but her eyes snapped open, "Heard ya comin'."

He nodded, "Good."

Rogue jumped up and smiled, "What? I don't get a 'good job'?"

"When you go on a mission, coming back alive is your 'congratulations', Rogue. I'm not here to give out gold stars. I'm here to teach you how to stay alive."

Over the next two weeks, the team came and went, frequently "dropping in" on their training sessions just to get a look at how their new recruit was shaping up. Victor, in particular, took an interest in watching her...and for some reason, that bothered Logan more than it should have.

Now that she had a handle on her new gifts, Logan moved on to self defense and counter attacks. Since she was so much smaller than him, she was able to make better use of his mutation's agility.

She was being trained by the best...and it showed.

One afternoon, after a particularly intense training session, Rogue wiped at her face with a towel and glanced at Logan, "How'd you end up here?"

He almost gave her his usual response of "we're not here to talk, we're here to train", but instead, he looked at her large brown eyes and sighed, "Stryker found out that me and my brother...Victor, had been in the army for close to 70 years...offered us a chance to get out of the monotony of fighting in war after war..."

She raised a brow, "Oh...how old are you?"

"I was born in 1860."

Rogue took a sip of water, "Wow. Guess I would need something to do if I had been around that long..."

Logan nodded before getting serious and looking into her eyes, "I don't know if my decelerating aging is something you've taken on...but if it is...I'm sorry."

He turned and started to leave, but she rushed after him and grabbed his arm. It was the first skin-on-skin contact they'd had since the night he healed her. He looked down at her hand, making her immediately snatch away and mutter an apology.

"S'Ok..."

"I didn't mean to-"

Logan held up a hand, "I'm not afraid of you...it's just...your hands are real soft."

Rogue blushed and looked down, "Oh...thanks."

He gave an uncomfortable nod before turning and walking away.

Logan succeeded in keeping things between he and Rogue strictly business on the outside...but on the inside, he was melting. The more time he spent with her, the more attached he became.

Over time, he began to realize just how unique she was. Her eyes told the story of a painful life, a wise soul and a tough-as-nails southern belle.

During one particular training, she got frustrated and snatched off the boxing gloves before throwing them across the room.

Since he'd never seen her show that much emotion, he just stood there and watched as she angrily stalked from one side of the room to the other.

"I'm NOT made for this shit!" she suddenly exclaimed.

That caught Logan by surprise. Rogue hadn't shared much about her background or previous experiences with fighting before, so this outburst clearly sparked his interest.

Logan started to hand her a a water, but she just plopped down on the mat and crossed her legs beneath her, "I don't have anywhere else to go...I have no money, no family...no future. That's why I'm here. Stryker lured me with the promise of free room and board...and more money than I'd ever even heard of...I still don't know why he wanted me. I've never fought anyone."

He furrowed his eyebrows and sat down next to her, "What do you mean, you've never fought anyone?"

"I'm just a runaway. My parents kicked me out when they found out what an abomination I was, so I moved in with my aunt...people in her town found out about me after the sheriff's son tried to..." her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes and looked away. "He tried to rape me...so I used my skin...I never wanted to, but I couldn't let him do that to me...I didn't mean to hold on until he died-" her voice broke down into deep sobs.

Logan cleared his throat and looked away, not sure what to do. He felt a little awkward...especially since watching her cry gave him the strong desire to lean forward and pull her into an embrace.

He watched as she feverishly worked to dry her tear stained face and muttered apologies. Finally, her voice was steady enough for her to speak again, "Do you ever get the feeling that you don't belong anywhere?"

He looked into her eyes and nodded, "All the time..."

Logan stood to his feet and pulled her up with him, "Training's over for the day. Go to your room, get showered and put on some clothes. We're going out."

"Out? But Stryker says-"

He raised a brow, "What is he gonna do? Punish us?"

Rogue knew he had a point there.

Within an hour, Rogue had changed into tight jeans, boots and a tight tee shirt. She wore a leather jacket over top. Logan was impressed with what he saw, but tried not to let it show as he led her out of the bunker and to the nearby hidden garage. He climbed onto a bike before feeling her climb on behind him and wrap her arms around his waist.

Just before he pulled off, he took a moment to relish the feel of her body holding onto his.

He took her to the nearest restaurant, which happened to be more of a roadhouse than anything else.

She ordered a simple chicken finger and fry basket, while he opted for roast beef and mashed potatoes. They waited for their food in their usual, comfortable silence until Logan suddenly spoke up, "How old are you?"

"I'll be 19 in two months."

Shit...she WAS young. Too young.

She sighed, "Absorbing one 26 year old and almost killing you has definitely aged me a little..." Rogue tapped her temple, "I'm not just some carefree teenager anymore."

Logan smirked as their food was sat down in front of them. After eating, Logan ordered another beer and sat back to appraise the young woman sitting across from him. She noticed his staring and blushed, "What?"

"All of the existing Team X members have military and law enforcement experience...I guess I'm tryin' to figure out why the hell Stryker wanted you, of all people, on the team. You're just...just a..."

"A kid", she finished for him.

"Yeah. No offense."

Rogue smirked and reached across the table before taking a hold of his beer and bringing it to her lips. He watched her with slight surprise as she took a gulp and set it down on the table, "I'm definitely not that much of a kid with a miniature version of the Wolverine stalking around my head...day and night. I've seen things from your memories-"

"I thought I taught you how to avoid those nightmares."

Again, a mischievous smile played across her lips, "Oh, I'm not talking about the nightmares...Logan. I'm talking about the women. The sex."

He gulped and shifted in his seat, "You...you've seen those memories?"

She nodded, "Oh yeah. It's kinda strange when a straight-laced southern belle like myself all of the sudden has a hankering to bang a hot brunette in an alley."

Logan's fist clenched beneath the table as he felt his erection instantly spring to life. The image of this sweet young thing rutting against another, equally hot woman in an alley was just too much. He quickly signaled for the waitress again. When she arrived, he ordered a whiskey double, no ice.

Rogue, who seemed completely oblivious to his very horny, very flustered state, flipped her hair and sighed wistfully, "I'm only 18...maybe this is a blessing in disguise. They say if you're gonna experiment, do it young...right?"

A look in her eyes told him that the sexually aggressive Wolverine in her mind was rearing its head. He cleared his throat as the waitress delivered his drink, which he quickly downed, "I don't think this is somethin' we should be talkin' about."

"What the hell else have we got to talk about? I've got you kicking around in my head. Don't you think I'm entitled to know the answers to some questions?"

"Like what?"

She sat back and took another swig of his beer, "Liiike...I saw a lot of girls...I mean A LOT...but you never kept one around for longer than it took to pull up your pants. What's up with that?"

"It's obvious. You have me in your head. You figure it out."

Rogue shook her head, "I may have some of your memories, your nightmares...maybe even some of your traits and habits...but what I don't have..." she leaned across the table and placed a hand on his chest, "is this...I can't feel with your heart."

Logan cleared his throat and looked down, "I'm over a hundred years old with no promise of death in sight. If I kept some chick around...and I started to give a damn, I'd have to be forced to watch her wither and die while my useless, undeserving ass gets to live on...so I save myself the trouble. I hate this life, I wish I could leave it all behind and be a normal guy living on a damn farm somewhere, but this is the hand the universe dealt. So I fuck and move on. Happy with that answer?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms before staring at him thoughtfully, "No...I'm actually very sad for you..."

He wanted to say "don't be" and dismiss her pity, but he found himself welcoming it. It allowed him to finally admit the loneliness that had plagued him for the better part of a hundred years.

Without another word, he plopped money on the table and stood to leave. She followed and they rode back in silence.

When they arrived back in the bunker, he cleared his throat, "So...I'll see ya later."

She nodded and started to turn toward her door, but she suddenly turned back and wrapped him in a hug. He was caught by surprise at first, but then slowly wrapped an arm around her waist and reciprocated the embrace. She whispered in his ear, "You only have to be alone for as long as you choose to be..."

And with that, she was gone. Logan heard a noise just down the dark hallway, but dismissed it since so many people mill about the bunker on a daily basis.

If he had bothered to investigate, he would have found out that Victor had been watching them...

* * *

**This is definitely an "us against the world" situation. Who do you think is going to pose the biggest threat? Stryker? Zero? Victor? Ya never know in this story! Review please!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Logan continued Rogue's intensive training for several more weeks. She was getting good...really good. Stryker surveilled some of her training and decided it was time for her to officially join the team by participating in her first mission.

When he informed Logan, he shook his head, "She's not ready."

Stryker leaned back in his chair, "I watched her during your last session. She seems completely capable of handling herself."

"She's too young to be out there."

"Why the hell do you think she's here, Logan? You think I don't know how old she is? I have her on this team for a reason and it isn't any of your concern of yours why. You just follow orders. I said train her, she's trained. That is the extent of your involvement with her. Now I want you to be ready to ship out by 0600 hours. Are we clear?"

Logan narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists before turning and stomping out of the office.

When they were on the plane the next day, Logan kept staring at Rogue. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and she wore black leggings, black combat boots, a long black button down shirt and a cargo vest.

Victor broke him out of his stare by leaning over and whispering, "Hey Jimmy, all that time you trained with her...did you...ya know..."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows and turned to look at his brother, "What?"

"Oh come on. I see how you stare at her...I don't blame you. That soft, young body...I'd love to be the one to pop that cherry...if it's still in tact."

"Just back off. Leave her off your radar."

Victor raised his eyebrows, "Oooh..touchy touchy little brother. Has she gotten to you?"

Logan started to answer, but the plane descending distracted him. When they landed, he glanced at Rogue, who seemed calm and collected.

Stryker ran over their mission plans once more, "We're looking for a man who knows the location of an object that is very important to me. He's the priority. No one else matters."

They arrived at a luxury villa located on a remote Caribbean island. A security gate complete with guard towers and barbed wire surrounded the otherwise unassuming mansion.

Zero, equipped with a silencer quickly and quietly took out the tower guards while Wade cut his way into the gate. As soon as the team slipped inside, the perimeter alarms sounded, causing dozens of soldiers to swarm the front yard. As the team fought off thee aggressors, Logan stole a look at Rogue.

She had just knocked a machine gun out of her attackers hands and taken him down with a roundhouse kick. She used the machine gun to take down a few more guards in the front yard.

Logan raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed. They had done minimal weapons training...she must have gotten the rest from his own memory bank from his long years in the army.

When all the guards were disposed of and the team began advancing on the mansion, Stryker favored Logan with a eyebrow raise and a nod toward Rogue, silently congratulating him on how well Rogue had handled herself in field.

With only a few, minimally armed bodyguards to contend with once they reached the inside of the house, they quickly rounded up the sleeping residents, which only included scantily clad babes who looked like failed models and video girls. The only male resident of the house was brought out of his room wearing a leopard print robe.

"Who are you! What do you want?" Stryker stepped forward, making the man's eyes widen in recognition, "William Stryker...what are you doing here? What is the meaning of this?"

Stryker pulled a metal stone out of his pocket, "I need ten more pounds. I'm tired of you holding out on me. Time it is of the essence. Now are you going to tell me what I need to know, or do we have to make the same mess in here as we did outside?"

The man trembled and looked at the team, "There's a cave...about 20 miles Northeast of Johannesburg. That's where my mine is located."

"And how do we know there won't be an ambush waiting for us when we get there?"

The man stuttered, "You have my word!"

Stryker sighed, "Unfortunately, in my line of work, that's not good enough."

With one nod to Wade, his throat was slashed. Rogue looked away and happened to notice that Logan did as well. As they left, Zero stayed behind to take care of the loose ends. Logan made sure to walk behind Rogue so that she wouldn't look back to witness the carnage of innocent women being murdered.

The screams they heard when they were leaving was enough.

He sat next to her on the plane, whispering words of encouragement and comfort.

This gesture didn't go unnoticed by Zero or Stryker.

* * *

"They're getting close. This isn't good."

Stryker sighed, "I knew I should have just let Victor train her..."

"Heh...Victor? She woulda been dead or raped within a week."

"Perhaps we could use this little romance to our advantage. I'll approach Logan concerning the Weapon X program tomorrow...if he refuses...we'll just get a little creative."

The next afternoon, Logan found himself in Stryker's office, listening to the story of adamantium and his desire to bond it to Logan's bones.

"You're the only one who could survive such a painful procedure...not even Victor's strength rivals yours. You would become the perfect soldier."

Logan shook his head, "I'm as indestructible as I wanna be...I've already been alive for longer than my liking. I'm not interested in making it even more difficult for me to die."

"You're sure?"

"Very."

Stryker shrugged, "Well...can't blame a man for trying. How is your training with Rogue coming along?"

"Good. Is this all?"

He shrugged a little and sat on the edge of his desk, "I ran some tests on her as well...looks like she still has your DNA lingering in her system..."

Logan's nostrils flared as he took a step forward, but Stryker continued anyways, "I'm certain her chances of surviving the procedure are promising...but it would be quite painful. She's got nowhere else to go...she knows that..."

"What makes you think I'd put my ass on the line for her?"

Stryker smirked before standing and picking up a remote. He pressed a button and suddenly, a monitor in the corner of the room flickered to life. It was security camera footage of random nights, when Logan had paced outside of Rogue's door, listening to her scream through his nightmares.

Finally, he fast forwarded to the night they hugged. Logan briefly watched as he and Rogue embraced, then quickly averted his eyes.

Stryker turned off the television and dropped the remote, "So...what'll it be, old friend?"

* * *

A week later, Rogue burst into his room while he was getting ready to report for the Weapon X experiment.

"Logan...don't do this. Whatever reason just isn't good enough."

"It's my choice, Rogue."

She shook her head, "It's too dangerous..."

Logan removed his tank top and shook his head, "Leave it alone, kid. It's my business."

"You said you wanted out of this lifestyle...why are you pushing yourself deeper into it?"

He looked into her eyes and briefly contemplated confessing his feelings. He cared about her...even though they had shared one brief hug...he actually cared about her more than any of the women he'd fucked in the past countless years. Instead of a confession, he just shook his head and started to walk away.

Before he got to the door, she grabbed him and turned him around. He looked down at her with uncertain eyes before she suddenly leaned up and took his face in her hands before capturing his lips in a loving kiss.

When the kiss ended, he looked down into her eyes, "I gotta ask you to trust me...OK?"

Rogue nodded, but continued to stare at him in confusion as he unwound her hands from around his face and rushed away.

Within an hour, Rogue and Agent Zero filed into the med bay to watch the Weapon X experiment. Victor and the rest of the team were on their way back from a mission, but Stryker was unwilling to wait for them.

She nervously bit her lip and watched as the doctor finished drawing the surgical lines on Logan. After they finished prepping him, Stryker approached, "You'll need new tags for this...what would you like them to say?"

"Just Wolverine this time."

After he was given his new dog tags, he was given a breathing apparatus and lowered into the water.

The drilling needles sounded awful as they lowered into the water and prepared to penetrate his skin. She watched as he closed his eyes in anticipation of the pain, which obviously came as they drove deep into his skin and began pouring molten metal inside of him.

Rogue clasped her hands together and brought them to her mouth as she watched him helplessly thrash against his restraints under the water. A glance at the monitoring screen told her that the adamantium reserve was 40% depleted.

It seemed like there was no end in sight for his pain. She shook her head and started to rush forward, but Agent Zero grabbed her around her waist, stopping her. She screamed out, "Stop it! You're killing him!"

Sure enough, his blood pressure, body temperature and heart rate were sky rocketing. He was now officially in cardiac arrest.

Logan continued to thrash about as Rogue struggled against Agent Zero. Tears had begun to form in her eyes as she attempted to squirm out of her captor's arms, "Stop it! Somebody help him!"

Stryker did little more than continue to watch the monitors.

Soon, the room fell silent save for the monotonous beep of Logan's heart monitor. He was officially dead.

Agent Zero finally let go of Rogue, who staggered forward toward the water tank that held Logan's body. Stryker sighed as he exchanged defeated looks with the doctors.

Rogue stepped forward and attempted to reach into the water to touch him, but the nearly boiling temperature of the water caused by the melted adamantium and his body made it impossible.

She shook her head, "This isn't it for you, Logan...come on. Stop fuckin' around and wake up."

Suddenly, his heart monitor let out a beep, breaking the drone that had been piercing her ears. Then another beep...and another...and another.

They slowly raised Logan out of the water tank. He opened his eyes just in time to see Rogue close her eyes and breathe a sigh of relief.

* * *

Later that night, Stryker and Agent Zero sat in his office.

"So...he took it and survived. Now what?"

"Now...we know that if she fully absorbs him...she'll be able to handle the adamantium as well. It'll be our first step in creating a super soldier."

Zero sighed, "How do you think you'll get her to go along with it after you force her to kill Logan?"

"I'll wipe her memory. She'll be nothing more than a drone."

Logan, who had been listening on the other side of the wall rushed to Rogue's room. She was asleep, so he crept in and quickly covered her mouth before she had the chance to scream. She looked up at him confusedly as he whispered, "Get dressed...trust me...we have to get you out of here."

Rogue quickly got up and threw on some clothes before Logan peeked out into the hallway, then grabbed her and rushed out.

When they reached the back exit, Logan had a hard time figuring out the code. He turned his back to her to fully concentrate on the keypad, but the sudden sound of her yelping caught him off guard.

When he whipped around, he saw Victor standing there with Rogue in his vice grip and a hand over her mouth. A look into Rogue's eyes told him that she was preparing to activate her mutation, but Logan quickly shook his head, "No kid!"

He knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if she ended up with Victor's psychopathic traits kicking around in her head.

"Let her go, Vic...there's a lot of shit goin' down that you don't know about."

Victor smirked, "Even if there is...why would I wanna let this sweet thing go and let you hog her all for yourself? I need a little bit o' love too, ya know?"

Logan growled and unsheathed his brand new, adamantium claws, prompting Victor to raise a brow, "Oooh. Shiney."

"Let. Her. Go."

Before they could interact any further, Logan was stabbed with a metal prod that sent violent electrical shocks into his system. Using electrocution, they were able to subdue Logan just long enough to restrain his arms inside of thick chains. He blacked out for a unknown amount of time and woke up to find himself hanging by his wrists from the ceiling. He had been stripped down to his underwear.

Logan quickly looked around and glared, "Where's Rogue?"

Stryker smirked as he stepped out of the shadows. He glanced at one of the guards in the room and nodded, "Bring her in."  
Suddenly, the heavy metal door opened and Rogue was dragged in by Zero. She was wearing only her underwear and, to be honest, if they hadn't been in a life or death situation, he would have had a hard on. Wade followed closely behind carrying, what looked like, a whip.

Logan struggled against his restraints and growled, "Let her go."

Zero and another guard yanked Rogue's arms above her head and fastened her wrists to the other pair of handcuffs that hung from the ceiling directly next to Logan. They faced each other as the guards tied their half naked bodies together.

Again, Logan was briefly thankful that he was in a life or death situation.

Rogue glared, "What the fuck are you doing, Stryker? Fulfilling some sick bondage fantasy?"

Instead of answering her, Stryker just nodded to Wade, who suddenly shook out the whip before striking Rogue in the back with it. She cried out in pain, making Logan violently jerk against his restraints.

Stryker slowly circled the room, "Did you know that when Rogue is hurt, she has a much more difficult time keeping her mutation at bay? All that poisonous skin pressed up against you is quite dangerous."

Logan looked down into her eyes, "It's OK..."

She looked up at him and shook her head wordlessly.

Stryker quickly nodded to Wade, who whipped Rogue again. She shuddered and shut her eyes tight, clearly attempting to concentrate on keeping her skin under control. By the end of the hour, Rogue's back was torn and bloodied and Logan had tears in his eyes. Each crack of the whip made him roar in rage.

She hung her head against his shoulder as he panted through the pain and exhaustion. He'd been pleading with her to just let go and put an end to her misery, but she had refused and held on to keep him safe.

"I'm not worth it Rogue...what the hell are you thinking?"

Rogue raised her head a little and smiled, "You're not a miserable asshole...you're worth more than you know."

Suddenly, another loud *crack* resounded as the whip, once again, connected with Rogue's back. She screamed out as Logan suddenly began to feel the pull of her mutation. He closed his eyes and welcomed it, relieved to know that, for the moment, she would at least be out of pain.

Logan fell unconscious just after Rogue was able to deactivate his powers. Her back was healed and she felt a renewal of his enhanced senses in her system.

Believing Logan to be dead, they released him from his bond and let his heavy, metal laced frame drop to the floor at Rogue's still hanging feet. Stryker left, taking the guards with him. Wade rolled up his whip and approached Rogue with a smirk, "Just because the game is over doesn't mean we can't keep playing..."

She shuddered and closed her eyes as he ran a hand down her body.

Rogue looked away as he dropped the whip and began unbuttoning his pants and stepped forward to greedily grope her. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of looking at him. She just kept her eyes closed as he yanked down her panties and grabbed her leg to raise it around his waist.

Just as he was about to push forward, a *snikt* sound made Rogue's eyes pop open to see three adamantium claws protruding through Wade's throat.

Logan retracted his claws and let Wade's lifeless body crumple to the floor before quickly pulling Rogue's panties back up and releasing her from her restraints. She hugged him quickly, but realized there would be more time for that later. After taking a gun off of Wade, they were able to silently bypass the few guards that loitered about between their holding cell and the nearest exit. Obviously, Stryker wasn't expecting either of them to be able to escape.

When they breeched the facility, alarms sounded. They ran through the woods with soldiers on their trail for a few moments before coming upon a tall waterfall. Rogue, using her freshly enhanced eye sight, raised the gun and shot one of the soldiers coming after them, immediately taking him down. She fired round after round, but didn't have enough bullets to take all of their enemies down.

She cursed and tossed the gun away before turning to Logan, "What now?"

He grabbed her hand, "Hope you can swim..."

Rogue screamed as they jumped off of the ledge and into the water below.

* * *

**Was Victor just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or did he have something to do with the "grand plan" to make Marie a super soldier? Review please!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

The raging water swept them miles down stream until the water grew more shallow and calm. They managed to pull themselves onto a river bank and lay there, panting and coughing.

When he recovered enough, he crawled over to Rogue and turned her over. He brushed her hair out of her face and looked into her eyes, "Are you alright?"

She nodded and coughed a little, "I've had better days..."

He favored with a weary, cocked smile and looked around, "We gotta keep moving. No stopping til nightfall."

Rogue nodded as he stood, then pulled her to her feet.

They aimlessly stumbled through the wilderness, hoping that they would end up coming across a sign of civilization, but the woods seemed to go on forever. He hopped on top of a dead tree stump to see if he could spot a clearing...or at least a road.

Rogue crouched on the ground and hugged herself in an attempt to shield her cold, wet body against the chilly air.

Logan turned back to her and rushed over. He stood her up and rubbed her arms before pressing her body to his in an effort to warm her. She trembled a little, "We need to find shelter...we'll die if we stay the night out here."

He nodded, "I know you're cold, but you have to think of something else. I think I see a road up there. Can you make it?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Logan gave her a reassuring nod before they continued their journey through the forest. Luckily, they did come across a road. Directly across the road sat a farmhouse complete with a barn and stables.

They stumbled inside the barn and looked around. Logan pulled Rogue to a corner and sat her down on a bale of hay, "I'm gonna look around."

Before he had the opportunity to leave her side, an old man burst into the barn with a shot gun. Logan knew the man must've been the owner, so he just froze and put his hands up.

The old man looked them both up and down, "You two aren't on the drugs...are ya?"

Rogue quickly shook her head and stood, "We've just...had a run of bad luck..."

"How so?"

Logan and Rogue exchanged looks before he spoke up, "It's a really long story..."

The old man slowly lowered his weapon and nodded, "Come on up to the house...you'll both freeze to death if you stay out here a minute longer..."

When they reached the house, they met an old lady, who identified herself as Abby and her husband as Carl. She rushed them into a guest room with attached bathroom, and quickly laid out toiletries while Carl pulled some clothes out of the attic.

After they had the opportunity to shower, they got dressed in the clothes the kindly couple supplied them with. Logan wore a plaid shirt and jeans that the old man said had belonged to his son. When he got finished changing in the other bathroom, he entered the spare bedroom, where Rogue was getting dressed.

When he caught a glimpse of her naked breast, he quickly apologized and nearly closed the door on himself in an effort to leave the room. She quickly yanked on the dress and rushed to the door, yanking him in and closing the door behind him.

"We're married, remember? Can't have you acting like a giant goober if you accidentally see me naked."

Logan cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah. Sorry bout that."

"So, what's the plan?"

"They invited us to stay the night, but we need to hit the road as soon as dawn breaks. We'd put them in danger if we stick around for too long."

Rogue nodded and turned to grab a pair of sandals the old lady had given her.

Logan stepped toward her, "Hey, Rogue...we're gonna be alright...OK?"

She bit her bottom lip and nodded, "I know...I trust you."

He gently nudged her arm before they turned to exit the room in order to join the kindly old couple for dinner. Just as they were about to exit the room, she quickly turned around, "Oh...call me Marie."

"Marie?"

She nodded and blushed a little, "It's my real name..."

Logan smiled, "OK...Marie..." He gently took her hand in his and looked into her eyes, "Nice to finally meet you..."

They stayed that way until the old lady's voice suddenly broke them out of their gaze, "Aw...Carl...would you come look at these two? I remember when that old bat used to stare at me like that. Now the only thing he stares at with any kinda intensity is the damn television set!"

"Ah quit your whinin' Abby!"

Logan and Marie shared a gentle laugh before following Abby into the kitchen and sitting down. They said a brief grace before they passed around food, which Marie tried not to devour too quickly. Everything was delicious.

"Are you two sure you don't need to call the police?"

Logan shook his head, "I think we'll be OK...thanks to your kindness. How far did you say town was?"

"Bout 15 more miles up the road."

Marie smiled, "Well, we'll be outta your hair as soon as light breaks. We don't wanna be an inconvenience to you."

Abby waved her hand dismissively, "Nonsense...ever since our kids grew up and flew the coop, we haven't had many visitors. And with my husband, the great couch potato...I don't have many people to talk to...fresh voices in this house are a welcome change to the drone of that damned television set."

Carl grumbled, "At least the television set doesn't nag!"

"I wouldn't have to nag if you stopped actin' like the eggs were gonna collect themselves!"

Marie and Logan exchanged looks from across the table and giggled softly as the two older people continued bickering. After dinner, Abby gave Marie a nightgown, which she changed into in the bathroom attached to she and Logan's guest room.

He pulled off his shirt and took off the jeans before going to the window and staring out over the horizon for any sign of danger. It was quiet...he knew they wouldn't be out looking for them at night.

Marie emerged wearing a white nightgown that was definitely made for a woman in her 60s...but that didn't affect the fact that she looked amazing in it.

"Which side do you want?"

He glanced at the bed, "Uh...left is fine."

She pulled back the covers and crawled beneath while he just decided to lay on top. He laid on his back with his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

"They're a funny couple, aren't they? Kinda makes you believe that happily ever afters do come true."

"Right...and all that arguing they're doing is what we all dream of."

Marie turned onto her side, "Oh come on...I'm sure underneath all that arguing, there's real love."

"People like them just stay together because they know no one else will take their old, wrinkly asses."

"Gee...you're quite the romantic."

They quieted down and laid in bed for a while before Marie spoke up, "Logan...when I kissed you-"

"Shhhh...do you hear that?"

She sat straight up in bed, "What? Is something wrong?"

"Shhh...listen."

Marie craned her head to the side and began listening. When she heard the rhythmic squeaking of a mattress, her face twisted into a disgusted expression. She plopped back down on the bed and covered her head with the pillow.

Logan laughed and leaned down, attempting to pull the pillow off of her head, "Hey...look at it this way...you were right. There is something real underneath all that bickering...really good make up sex."

"Ew! You're disgusting."

"What were you saying before?"

Marie lifted her head from beneath the pillow and looked at him, "Before?"

"You said something about when you kissed me..."

She sighed and briefly looked away, "It was nothing...goodnight, Logan."

Sometime during the night, he woke up to her warm body curled into his. He started to push her back to her side of the bed, but after staring at her, he slowly wrapped his arms around her and settled down beside her, allowing her body to naturally mold into his.

Logan and Marie were dressed and heading out of the door at the first light of dawn, just as they said they would. Marie left a beautifully worded 'thank you' note to the kindly couple and made sure to make their bed before the left.

They managed to make it into town within a few hours. There, Logan went to the nearest ATM. Marie furrowed her eyebrows, "What are you doing?"

"When you've been around as long as I have, you learn a few things..."

Logan used his claw to pop off the face of the ATM, exposing the wires and motherboard. After switching a couple of things around, he put the face plate back on and pressed a few buttons.

When he turned back to Marie, held a large stack of bills, "This should be enough to get us to Canada."

"Canada?"

He nodded, "It's where I was born...there's a lot of tiny little mountain towns we can hide out in. No one would know us...and they wouldn't find us."

"You...you want me to come with you?"

He nodded, "We're better off together...we can protect each other."

Marie smiled, "Alright..."

* * *

**Coming up...**

**Logan and Marie give into their desires and try to leave their pasts behind.**


	5. Chapter 5

They bought bus tickets to Calgary, then rigged another ATM and collected enough cash to buy a car from an overly eager used car salesman. They took turns driving for over 24 hours before finally pulling over in a charming old town hidden deep within the woods.

After sleeping in a motel their first night, Logan and Marie set out to find a more permanent residence. An older couple who was renting out their mountain top cabin agreed to allow them to take a look at their property.

Marie ran her hand over the back of the leather couch, "Is the furniture included?"

The lady nodded, "Yep."

Logan and Marie looked around briefly, then exchanged looks and nodded, "We'll take it."

They gave the couple cash for their deposit and first two months rent. After their new landlords left them to get settled in, Logan and Marie took turns taking showers, then headed back into town to stock their refrigerator and load up on supplies.

That evening, Logan stretched out on the couch with a beer while Marie stood in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for dinner. She smirked as she glanced at him around the corner, "You could get off your ass and help me."

"...and you could toss me another beer."

Marie suddenly tossed the knife at him, lodging it in the wall mere centimeters from his head.

He slowly turned his head to look at the knife, then turned back to her with raised eyebrows, "Think that's gonna scare me?"

"Oh I didn't mean to scare you...I missed."

Logan let out a chuckle before standing and making his way into the kitchen to lend a hand.

Some time during dinner that evening, Marie cleared her throat, "So...are we just going to hide out here forever?"

He cleared his throat, "To be honest...I dunno. Stryker doesn't give up easily...I only hope Victor doesn't join forces with him after he realizes what happened."

Marie shook her head and dropped her fork, "I've seen him from your point of view...he's capable of anything...isn't he?"

Logan nodded, unwilling to sugar coat it for her.

She stood up and walked over to the window, crossing her arms and staring out over the mountainside. Logan stood and moved behind her.

Sensing his presence, she sighed, "It's me they really want...you would have a fighting chance if you left me...why don't you just go and save yourself?"

Logan's voice was deep and husky when he responded, "Because I don't want to leave you..."

Before Marie had the chance to turn around, Logan grabbed her wrists and forced her to place her hands on the window in front of her as his lips eagerly connected to her neck, making her draw in a breath and gasp.

He shoved his hand underneath her shirt and yanked down her bra cup before roughly grabbing her breast. Marie pushed his hand away and quickly turned around.

They stared at each other with heated, darkened eyes as they both panted. She smirked as she yanked her shirt off over her head and quickly ridded herself of her bra.

Logan snatched his own shirt off and yanked her body to his as she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as she connected her lips to his in a hungry kiss. He stumbled backwards until they landed on the couch. Logan ran his hand up her bare stomach and greedily groped her supple breasts. Marie reached between them and began yanking open his pants as he wrestled for a way to unfasten her jeans.

Somehow, they both got their pants pulled down. In the midst of the feverish kissing, scratching and biting, Logan slowed and separated his lips from hers to look down into her eyes as he settled between her legs, "You're so damn beautiful..."

Marie, who had been lost in a world of feral sexual aggression, blushed as she reached up and pulled his face down to hers for a gentle, yet passionate kiss.

Logan reached down and grabbed a hold of his member before pushing himself deep inside of her as they continued kissing. In response, Marie gasped against his mouth and froze in place as he began thrusting into her body.

She wrapped her legs around his waist as he leaned down and buried his face in her neck, biting, licking and sucking at the tender flesh.

"Oh god...Logan...fuck me..."

With a growl, he acquiesced and sat up, pulling her into a kneeling position on the floor. He entered her again from behind and gathered her long hair in his hand before he resumed thrusting into her like a wild animal.

Marie's entire body jerked back and forth violently as he reached forward and grabbed her breast. She quickly sat up on her knees to reach behind his head and roughly run her fingers through his hair.

He wrapped his arms around her lithe body as she began shaking and convulsing against him, signaling the arrival of a mind bending orgasm. Logan gripped onto her tighter as his own climax claimed his body. He buried his face in her neck and came hard as he whispered her name reverently.

Ten minutes later, they were laying in each others arms on the floor of the cabin. She smiled as he gently traced an invisible design over her hip, "I like you, Logan..."

"I think I might more than like you, kid."

Marie turned over and blushed, "Really?"

"I've never put my ass on the line for anyone the way I have for you baby..."

She gently stroked his muttonchops, "I think I more than like you too." He favored her with a loving kiss, then got up and walked to the kitchen. She stood and followed him, "So...what now?"

"Now...I protect you with my life..."

Marie wrapped her arms around his neck, "You trained me well...I'm gonna protect you too."

* * *

_**Seven weeks later...**_

"Higher."

Marie sighed, "That's as far as I can reach."

Logan smirked and came over to take the painting from her. He hammered a nail into the high spot on the wall and hung the painting before stepping back and crossing his arms, "Now that is where this deserves to be."

She blushed and looked down, "Yeah right."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close before kissing her temple, "It's beautiful, kid. You got real talent..."

Marie cocked her head to the side and stared at the painting she had completed the week before. Originally, she'd just purchased the painting supplies as yet another way to entertain herself while Logan was working in the lumber yard. After dabbling in a sketch book, she finally turned her attention to a full canvas and painted an impressionist style painting of a young girl, wading shin-deep in a stream surrounded by gorgeous trees.

To her, it was just a memory from childhood that she happened to recreate. To Logan, she was the next Van Gogh.

He ranted and raved about it for days until she finally agreed to hang it. Now it was hanging in a prominent spot in "their" home.

The sounds of a cap being popped off of beer bottles made her turn her attention toward Logan, who was walking toward her with two beers. She smiled and took one, "You really think it's good?"

"Look at me, kid...do I seem like the type of guy who would call shit 'good'?"

Marie laughed as she took her beer and took a swig, "No, darlin'. You certainly don't. One of the many things I love about you. You ready for dinner?"

Logan eyed her hungrily for a second before leaning over and kissing her neck, "I might be able to go for dessert first..."

She giggled, despite the intense shivers that ran down her spine as a result of his lips connecting with her erogenous zone. She was barely able to set her beer on a solid surface before Logan suddenly hoisted her over his shoulder using one hand. Marie squealed and slapped his ass as he took a drink of his beer and stalked toward their bedroom while carrying her. He tossed her to the bed and took another sip of beer as she sat up and yanked her shirt over her head.

She grabbed his belt and yanked his waist toward her slightly, "You gonna put that beer down to fuck me?"

He raised a brow, "I bet I can make you cum three times without having to put this beer down."

Marie unfastened his belt and looked up at him with darkened eyes, "You're on, buddy."

Logan nonchalantly took a sip of his beer before pushing her backwards on the bed. Using only one hand, he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, then yanked them off along with her underwear. After yet another sip of his beer, he parted her knees and began trailing kisses down the inside of her thigh. By the time he buried his face in her pussy, Marie was already writhing in ecstasy. Using his only free hand, he tightly gripped her thigh as he hungrily lapped at her soft, delicate folds. Reaching down, she eagerly ran her fingers through his hair as her hips involuntarily thrust upwards against his undulating tongue.

Moving his hand from her thigh, he inserted two fingers inside of her quivering hole, suddenly sending her sky rocketing toward her first orgasm.

Logan smirked as he stood back up and waited for her shivering to subside, "Feelin' OK babe?"

Marie nodded and watched as he began sauntering back toward the kitchen, "Where are you goin'?"

He threw a cocky smile over his shoulder, "I need more beer."

Just as quickly as he left, he was back with a new beer. She smirked, "If you think I'm gonna get on top and make these easy for you-"

She was cut off when he suddenly grabbed her leg and flipped her over. He yanked her hip upwards before favoring her with a tight slap on her ass. Marie gasped and bit her lip as she stayed frozen in that position, listening as he dealt with the challenge of removing his own pants with only one hand. She heard him mutter "fuck it" before he suddenly plunged into her.

Instead of giving her a second to recover from the mind blowing sensation of having him plunge into her so deeply, he began fucking her at a fast, intense pace. Marie moaned and whimpered helplessly as her body surrendered to his will...but the race was now on. Could Logan last long enough to deliver two more orgasms?

In order to ensure he would at least make it to a third attempt, he reached around her and began fingering her clit. Before long, she was crying out his name as her body spasmed again.

He panted and smiled as she flopped forward onto the mattress. Logan, who was now shaking himself, slowly brought the beer bottle to his lips and took a deep swig. Number three was definitely going to be harder than he thought.

Despite the obvious sheen of sweat that covered her body and her breathlessness, she smirked, "Had enough?"

"Not hardly."

Logan took a gulp of beer before crawling on top of her and burying his face in her neck. He relished the salty, sweet taste of her sweaty skin as he thrust himself inside of her, being sure to allow his groin to repeatedly brush against her clit as he moved in and out of her.

Marie, knowing by now what it took to drive him insane, raised her legs up further around his waist and locked her ankles behind his ass. He suddenly froze as he closed his eyes and groaned.

She raised both eyebrows and feigned surprise, "What? Are you close?"

He shook his head and shifted his weight to his right arm so that he could use his left hand to take another drink of beer, "Nope...just needed a drink..."

Marie bit her lip, "Yeah...right..."

When he started to move again, he could feel her muscles begin to clench against him, "Oh god...baby...what are you doing?"

Her own actions were beginning to backfire as she felt her own body begin to tighten, but instead of admitting her impending defeat, she panted as she spoke, "Ever heard of kegals, baby?"

"I can feel you, baby...I know you're close...just give it up..."

When her hips involuntarily bucked upwards, it proved to be more than Logan could handle. He roared as the most powerful orgasm he'd ever experienced in his entire life claimed control of his body. His weakened hand released the beer, spilling the remainder of the contents on Marie, who came barely two seconds after he did. Logan plopped onto his back beside her as she giggled breathlessly, "Ha-haaa! I won! I toooold you!"

He laid there, unable to move, "Babe...I think in this situation...we're both winners."

After spending several minutes attempting to recover in bed and a shower, they got dressed in their pajamas and had leftovers for dinner. After eating, Logan looked back up at the painting, "I've never given a fuck about art, kid...but that's really beautiful. I'm actually surprised I like it so much."

"Really?"

He nodded and stretched out his long legs, "Yep. You should do more."

"I think I will. Not like there's much opportunity for work in this town for women-folk."

Logan smirked, "Is it so bad that I bring home the bacon and you fetch me my beer and slippers?"

She playfully hit him with the pillow, "Watch it."

"No harm meant, babe. I know you're as capable of kicking ass as I am."

Marie cuddled into him and stared at the fire, "You bet I am...and don't you ever forget it."

* * *

As promised, Marie got to work on more paintings. She became engrossed in recreating memories from summer vacations, holidays and random scenes from the small town she grew up in. Eventually, the entire, uncomplicated life she lived prior to the emergence of her mutation had been placed on canvas. The colors were vibrant, the characters were lively and the scene was always heartfelt...each of them could be considered their own little masterpiece.

Logan happily hung each and every piece of art she created. He admired them and tried to convince her to start painting for money, but she refused to believe that she was good enough to make money off of her uncultivated talent.

* * *

During one particularly quiet night, Marie rolled over to find herself alone in bed. She walked out into the living room, wearing one of his large, flannel shirts as a nightgown. She approached his shirtless form from behind and kissed the area between his shoulder blades before placing her hands on his shoulders, "You OK?"

Logan, who remained unmoving as he stared out the window, nodded, "Yep."

"Why don't you come to bed? I can guarantee you it's much more fun in there than it is out here..." she said as she softly traced a finger up the side of his neck. When that didn't get a response, she sighed and squeezed herself in between him and the window, "What's goin' on in that head of yours?"

He finally made eye contact with her and sighed, "It doesn't matter where we go. It'll always come to this...you in bed alone, while I stand watch..."

She gently took his face in her hands, "We're safe here. We were careful. We kept a low profile and no one knows our real names."

He looked down into her eyes and gently traced a finger down her cheek, "I don't wanna lose you."

Marie looked back into his eyes, "You won't..."

"I'm serious Marie...if anything happened to you, I'd-"

She gently placed her hand against his mouth to cut him off, "I know your entire life has been worst case scenario after worst case scenario, but look around you, baby...you're happy now. Just let yourself enjoy this. It's just you and me livin' in our own little world...we're gonna be fine."

"Promise?"

Marie smiled and gave him a light kiss, "If everything was in my control, I would make that promise to you...but it's not in my power to do that. I can only tell you that I'll always love you."

"Love..."

"That's the first time that word's come up, isn't it?"

Logan smiled a little, "Yeah."

"You're not gonna freak out on me...are ya?"

He shook his head, "Nah...I just...I-I-I uh...love you too."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this rewrite! Review please!**


	6. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE**

* * *

After giving some consideration to some reviewers who thought the story was moving too fast, I agreed. I do want to make sure you get a chance to get really attached to Logan and Marie as a couple, living happily together and I know I can only do that if I give you time to fall in love with them in this AU situation. So, on that note, please go back and read Chapter 5. The very first part of it remains unchanged, but the middle and end are COMPLETELY different. So just read the whole chapter again from start to finish and, as always, please provide feedback and tell me what you think! Thanks everyone!


	7. Chapter 7

Marie pulled up to the lumber yard and watched as Logan got out of their beat up old truck, then grabbed his gear from the bed. As he walked away, she glanced to the passenger seat and saw that he'd forgotten his lunch.

She grabbed it and hopped out to jog after him, "Hey...wait up! Don't want my man goin' hungry."

He turned around and took the lunch, "Thanks babe."

As he turned to head toward a group of awaiting fellow lumberjacks, he heard her clear her throat. Lowering his head, he turned around to see her standing there with her hands on her hips.

She stopped him as he prepared to favor her with a quick kiss, "Uh uh, mister. You better make it a good one."

Logan raised a brow before dropping his axe and using his free hand to grab her around her waist and yank her close before laying a kiss for the ages on her lips.

"Woohoo"s and cat calls were heard from the group of men as their kiss drew to a slow, sultry close. Logan glanced back at them with an angry scowl, which worked to quiet the crowd before he turned back to Marie and smirking, "Happy now? Look what you started."

She giggled, "Totally worth it in my opinion."

After leaving Logan at work, Marie headed into town to go shopping at the general store. Upon entering, the middle aged lady who Marie knew as Sam behind the counter smiled, "Hi Anna! Stocking up for the storm?"

"What storm?" asked Marie.

Sam moved around the counter and began stacking cans on a shelf, "I've been listening to the radio. They're expectin' about 18 inches startin' tonight, then maybe another ten the day after."

"Oh wow...I guess I should stock up, then."

She eyed Marie for a moment, "This your first real snowstorm, darlin'?"

"Guilty. My more experienced cohort is somewhere in the woods, choppin' down trees. Alright...what'll I need?"

"Just the usual. Food, batteries, flashlights, firewood and gasoline for your generator."

By the time Logan was dropped off by one of his co workers that evening, snow had begun to softly fall. He looked around at the unlit candles and other supplies Marie had brought home, "Uh...what's goin' on, babe?"

She came around the corner and smiled at him, "Hey...you didn't hear about the storm?"

"Yeah...but I didn't think it warranted a shopping spree."

"Baby, I'm a southern girl. I've never been trapped in a snow storm before."

Logan kissed her on the lips and looked around, "Extra firewood, a weather radio, beef jerky...wow. Preparin' for armageddon, huh?"

"Tease all you want, but you'll be thankin' me when we're snowed in for the fifth day straight and we're still warm with plenty of food and water."

He grabbed her around her waist and yanked her forward, "Oh...I knew no matter what...we'd be warm."

She playfully raised a brow, "Oh really? How did you know that?"

Logan answered by leaning down to nuzzle, kiss and suck on the soft flesh of her neck. In response, Marie's eyes rolled closed involuntarily. She shuddered and gripped his firm biceps, "Oh...oh...that's a good plan."

Marie felt him smile against her skin as he whispered, "Do you wanna try to make it to the bedroom? Or do you want me to just fuck you on the floor?"

Barely three minutes after she uttered the words "the floor", Logan had her on her hands and knees. In their haste, they'd barely gotten their pants down to their knees before he thrust deeply into her.

She loved it when they made love in random places of the cabin. It was a way to mark the place as "theirs" even though they were renting it. They laid beside each other thirty minutes later, panting and half dressed with limbs intertwined.

"Guess we found something to do during the storm..."

He laughed softly and ran a hand through his hair, "Definitely."

Marie rolled over and gently ran a finger over his chest, "No matter what our future brings...I wanna remember my time with you forever..."

Logan kissed her forehead, "I'm never gonna forget you, darlin'...even if I go crazy for a little while...you'll always be the best memory in my whole fucked up world."

A couple of nights later, Logan was asleep in bed beside Marie...dreaming.

He began reliving the events of their escape from Team X in vivid detail.

From seeing Wade whip Marie, to opening his eyes just before their captor had the chance to rape her. He suddenly roared as his claws came shooting out and buried themselves into Wade's body.

The warmth of her blood didn't wake him...but her wet, choking cough did. Logan's eyes sprang open, and he was immediately confronted with what he had done.

Instead of remaining within a harmless dream, he had inflicted harm on her. Something he promised he could never ever do...but here she was, lying next to him, choking on her own blood as the angry red liquid feverishly poured from three claw marks in the center of her chest.

Quickly, he gathered her in his arms as tears began flowing down his face, "Oh god! Baby! I'm so sorry...Marie...Marie...use your skin..."

Her eyes were unfocused and staring up at the ceiling as her body shook and convulsed, fighting for air as blood filled her lungs. He immediately pressed his face to her cheek, praying that her mutation would take hold.

God must've been listening. No sooner had he touched her bare skin did she begin sucking the life out of him.

Ridden with guilt over his mistake and completely distraught over the fact that he had nearly killed the woman he loved more than life itself, Logan continued to hold onto her even after her wounds healed. His strength should have been zapped along with the rest of his mutation, but somehow, even as Marie became aware of what was going on, she wasn't strong enough to pry herself out of his vice grip until it was almost too late...

* * *

Logan awoke to the sun shining in through their bedroom window. He groaned and brought his hand up to shield his eyes, but for some reason, his arm felt like it weighed a thousand tons.

Marie walked into the room carrying a large cup of water, looking as radiant as ever. She smiled, "My patient is finally awake."

He couldn't even find the strength to sit up as he turned his head to the side, "What do you mean '_finally_'?"

She pursed her lips and circled the bed before sitting the water down on the nightstand, then using a few pillows to prop him up before picking up the water cup again and bringing it to his lips. His question was forgotten when he felt the cool, blessed liquid enter his extremely parched mouth and flow down his throat.

He drank greedily until the cup was empty. Marie smiled and patted his leg, "There...better?"

Logan nodded slowly, "How long was I out for?"

She paused, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"You wouldn't let me go, you big ape! I took on more of you than I ever have! You almost died! For real this time!"

He closed his eyes briefly, "I almost killed you...I looked in your eyes and actually saw you dying..."

Marie shook her head, "You were unconscious for 5 days, Logan."

That definitely surprised him. He didn't realize he'd unconscious on for so long.

"Look...what happened that night was an accident..."

Logan shook his head, "I'm never sleeping in the bed with you again."

"Yes you will."

"What if it happens again!"

She yelled, "It won't!"

"How do you know?"

Marie bit her bottom lip before rushing into the kitchen and coming back with a knife. He watched in horror as she cut a gash into her own arm. He was surprised when her skin immediately stitched back together.

"You still heal?"

She nodded, "I still heal...hear everything, smell everything...it's all still there, as if I just absorbed you. I think it's permanent now."

"How?"

Marie shrugged and sat down next to him, "I dunno. We've had prolonged contact on three different occasions...it's no surprise that my mutation would hold onto yours after so many close calls."

Logan shook his head, "So what does this mean?"

"It means, you can stab me in the chest all you want...I'm not gonna die from it."

He looked into her eyes, "You're completely recovered from that night?"

Marie looked down and slowly unbuttoned her shirt. He saw three, pale claw marks, barely visible to the naked eye.

He reached forward and ran his fingers over her scars, "I scarred you..."

"You marked me. Big difference. I'm sure these'll probably be the last scars I'll ever get...and I wouldn't want anyone else to give 'em to me."

Logan sighed, "I never wanted you to be cursed like me."

"Well...we'll be cursed together. It's actually kinda cool. How many people can choose not to grow old with someone...but still want to stay together forever?"

He smirked and nodded, "Good point there."

* * *

A week later, Marie was in the kitchen, hunting for a snack while Logan was building a fire. Something outside caught her eye, but she went back to what she was doing and walked over to Logan with a bowl of chips. He smirked and pulled her onto his nap as she began whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

She reached behind his head then suddenly pulled a gun and aimed it at the figure standing at the door, successfully stopping the person's advancement.

Marie slowly maneuvered off of Logan's lap as he stood and released his claws, "Step into the light! Now!"

She kept her gun trained on the figure, who put their hands up and moved forward slowly. When they stepped into the light, they both furrowed their eyebrows, "John Wraith."

He had been a Team X member...quiet and contemplative in nature, but still a killer nonetheless.

"John...what are you doing here?"

John smirked, "Damn glad you two recognize me...I thought for sure I would be able to teleport in here without any problems..."

Marie cocked the gun, "You still haven't answered the question."

The teleporter raised his hands again as a show of surrender, "I'm here because your brother needs your help."

Logan retracted his claws and stepped forward, but Marie kept her gun up, "Victor? What's wrong? What happened?"

John sighed and shook his head, "About a month ago, I guess Stryker figured you were gone for good and he decided to start experimenting on Victor..."

"Experimenting?"

"It's actually more torture than experimenting...I couldn't take it, so I left the team...or escaped, rather. Stryker ain't exactly one to accept a letter of resignation."

Marie narrowed her eyes, "And how, exactly, did you find us after Stryker couldn't?"

"You'd be amazed how far you get on a trail when you don't kill virtually every potential witness you come across. Carl and Abby told me to say 'hi' by the way..." She glared and aimed the gun again, but John, once again raised his hands in surrender, "I only talked to them. They're fine."

Logan grabbed Marie's wrist in an effort to convince her to lower the gun. She glanced between him and John for a second before finally lowering her gun. Logan stepped forward, "What is happening to Victor?"

"He had no idea what Stryker was planning for Marie...none of us did...'cept Wade and Zero...he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I knew if Stryker would snatch Vic up and start experimenting on him...he wouldn't hesitate to do it to me."

After an hour of talking, Logan seemed convinced of Wraith's intentions and invited him to stay on their couch. Marie didn't seem convinced at all and told Logan so as they got ready for bed that night.

"I don't trust him, Logan...why can't we just hit the road again?"

He sat on the edge of the bed, "Victor is my brother...I can't just abandon him."

"No...because he seemed ideally supportive when we were running for our lives."

"It was obvious he had no clue what was going on. I know he would have helped us if he had any clue about what was going on."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"Marie...look at it this way...if Victor was really on Stryker's side, he woulda found us weeks ago. He's the best tracker I know."

Marie sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, "I dunno..."

"If you don't wanna come, I understand, but I can't just abandon the only family I ever knew."

Her expression softened slight, "OK...I understand..I'll go with you."

* * *

**Review please! We're coming up on a pretty climatic turn of events, then it will be the end of part 1. Part 2 will be contained in this story, so no need to look for a new story. Just keep looking for new chapters!**


	8. Chapter 8

Marie entered the kitchen in her robe and slippers and disheveled hair. She yawned and pressed the button on the coffee maker, then, suddenly spun around. The only thing that saved John Wraith from her fist meeting his nose was his teleportation powers.

He smirked as he reappeared next to her, "Whoa...didn't mean to frighten ya there, Rogue. You're a little on edge, huh?"

She glared a little and turned her attention back to searching for a mug, "No, I'm just not used to strange people in my living space."

"Well, I'm truly sorry about that. Where's the big man? Still sleep?"

Marie walked over to the refrigerator to pull out the makings for breakfast, "No. Showering."

John nodded before walking back into the living room, "Who did these paintings?"

"Why?" Marie asked as she set the milk and eggs on the counter.

"They're pretty damn good."

She smiled a little as Logan entered the kitchen, pulling on his shirt. He favored Marie with a quick kiss on the cheek and pat on the ass before turning to John, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah man. That couch worked some magic on my spine."

"Great. So you'll be ready to hit the road."

Marie's head snapped up, "We're leaving today?"

Logan turned back to her, "Not _WE_...me and John."

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm going with you."

He glanced back at John, "Would you give us a minute?"

The teleporter nodded and stepped out of the front door. As soon as they were alone, Logan gave Marie a stern look, "This isn't your fight."

"No, it's yours...and like it or not, if it involves you, it involves me."

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, "I don't want you anywhere near Stryker. I'm afraid of what he'll do to you."

She stepped forward and took his face in her hands, "I want to be there for you, Logan. You know I can fight. You know I'm strong...and now that I've permanently retained your powers, I'm not nearly as vulnerable as I look."

Logan slowly slid her hands off of his face, "I know you're not vulnerable...but I can't concentrate knowing you might be in danger."

Marie sighed, "You have to admit...you're better off with me, than without me being there. You're walking into the belly of the beast with only one person as back up...and you can't even trust him fully!"

"Fine..."

When Logan retrieved John from outside, they began discussing their plan to penetrate Stryker's new facilities, which was located somewhere in Pennsylvania.

"So...we can drive."

John shook his head, "My contact says you gotta get there by plane."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows, "Your contact? Who the hell is this contact?"

"A mutant who Stryker kept prisoner for a few months at this location. He's a cocky little bastard, but he'll be useful. He's apparently got us access to a plane to get there."

Marie looked down at the piece of paper John had started to draw the facility on, "How heavily guarded is this place?"

"Bout the same as what you would expect from Stryker." John turned his attention to his drawing, "Now, we enter here...the lower floor is where he keeps his prisoners, but the upstairs area is where he performs his experiments, so Victor is probably in there. We'll probably have a few guards to take out, but it's unlikely that we'll encounter a bunch of them outside of the facility."

Marie set breakfast on the table, "Fine. Eat up gentlemen. I'm gonna go get dressed."

* * *

By dusk the next day, they were pulling up to an air strip outside of New Jersey to meet their contact.

When they pulled up, John led them to a young, handsome man who couldn't have been older than 20. He leaned against a small, slightly beat up private plane, smirking at Marie as she walked toward him with Logan, who immediately noticed the lascivious way the guy was eyeing her.

The young man pushed himself off the plane, "Hey there Johnny...these ya friends you were tellin' me bout?"

He nodded, "Remy LeBeau...this here is Rogue...and this is the Wolverine, but you can call 'em Marie and Logan."

"Nice to meet ya both...especially the petite belle ya got here."

Logan growled and stepped between Marie and Remy, "Keep your eyeballs in their sockets, swamp rat."

Remy backed up, "No offense intended, friend."

John sighed, "Shall we?"

Despite the fact that Logan practically pissed a circle around Marie, Remy couldn't help but stare at her. From the few, low words she'd murmured, he could tell she had a deliciously thick southern accent. He surmised she was probably from the Mississippi Delta.

He wished he could have the chance to talk to her without that hairy ape hangin' all around her.

They boarded the plane and set off for their destination. Logan, being nervous in the rickety, old plane, held onto Marie's hand so tight, she ended up having to punch him in the arm to make him let go. They landed on a small strip of land on the north end of 3 Mile Island.

As they armed themselves, Remy watched as Logan ran a hand down Marie's cheek and whispered something while looking into her eyes. She nodded, then favored him with a sweet, lingering kiss. After that, he watched them mouth the words, "I love you" to each other.

"Alright LeBeau. We're gonna make this quick. Keep the engine runnin'."

He nodded and watched as they walked away.

Within minutes, Marie, John and Logan had silently disposed of the handful of guards who were guarding the back entrance they used to breech the facility. They crept upstairs, where Logan used his claws to discretely kill a couple more guards.

They entered a room that looked like an infirmary, but it was lined with odd looking contraptions that looked like refrigerators with clear doors.

Upon closer inspection, they could see various mutants seemingly frozen in time inside of the odd devices. Marie quickly called Logan over when she spotted Victor, frozen and suspended inside of the case.

Logan and John rushed over, "Oh shit...Vic...what has he done to you?"

Marie examined the refrigerator, "There's a release switch, but I think if I hit it, it'll turn off his life support systems and he could die before we can get him out."

"Shouldn't his healing factor take care of that?" asked the teleporter.

She shook her head, "Keeping him frozen probably temporarily deactivates his mutation...just like it stalls all of his other bodily functions."

They all continued to examine the release mechanisms until a voice suddenly broke them out of their concentration, "I was wondering when I would see you two back here again."

John, Marie and Logan spun around to see Stryker enter with Agent Zero at his side, holding a shiney gun.

"You two seem to have turned into quite the little couple. I'd like to think I had a hand in that."

Logan growled as his claws slowly exited his knuckles in preparation for a fight, "Let him out."

"Are you sure you want me to that, old friend? I'm afraid you'll find Victor to be far less...tame than he once was..."

"What did you do to him!"

Stryker suddenly yelled, "I got rid of the facade and made him what he really was! What you all are! Animals!"

Wraith suddenly teleported, distracting Stryker and Zero just long enough for Marie to pull her gun and start shooting as she and Logan sought cover. John managed to knock Agent Zero's gun out of his hand and engage him in a fist fight as Marie continued to exchange gunfire with Stryker, who took cover behind a metal table he overturned.

Unfortunately for John, Agent Zero's hand-to-hand combat skills far outmatched his...even with his teleportation abilities. The sharp shooter gained the upper hand and knocked Wraith out, before grabbing his gun and taking cover with Stryker.

Stryker whispered, "The facility has been compromised. I want you to go get the chopper ready...tell the guards to implement the evacuation plan...we'll have ten minutes before the authorities arrive."

"What are you gonna do?"

Stryker took Zero's shiny gun, "No matter what...I'm gonna make sure she dies and he remembers nothing. One adamantium bullet to Logan's skull should be enough to put him down."

Zero nodded before practically crawling from the room to make his escape.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Logan sighed, "We can't stay hidden behind this table all fucking night..."

As he started to stand up, Marie grabbed his arm and yanked him back down, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I'm gonna end this...draw him out of his hole..."

She shook her head, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

He kissed her softly, "Trust me baby...be right back."

Marie shook her head, "I have a bad feeling...there's gotta be another way."

"Don't worry about me, darlin'."

Logan jumped up and began charging Stryker, but was met with a barage of gun fire. The hits to the chest, arm and torso didn't slow him down in the least bit, but just before he reached Stryker, a bullet struck him directly between the eyes, making his head snap backwards from the force of the firearm. He quickly fell in a heavy heap on the ground.

Marie shook her head as she watched from her place behind the table, "No...no no...Logan..."

Without thinking, she began running toward him. Stryker fired a single shot that met her in the chest. It hurt more than anything she'd ever felt before, so she dropped to her knees, clutching her bullet wound. She watched Stryker smirk and rush from the room before he had the opportunity to watch her wound heal itself.

She couldn't understand why Logan wasn't waking up...

Leaning down, she brushed a hand over his cheek, "Baby? Can you hear me? Wake up. Please?"

When she got no answer, she feared the worst. Anger welled within her as she stood and ran from the room in hot pursuit of Stryker, who was just reaching his helicopter. There, he found Zero dead with several playing cards lodged in his chest.

Just as he was about to snatch Zero's body out of the pilot's seat and take off, he heard Marie's angry voice scream his name behind him.

He quickly turned around, "Why aren't you dead?"

"Not your business."

Stryker smiled almost maniacally, "You absorbed him again...didn't you? You permanently retained his healing factor? You could probably take on adamantium if you wanted...you'd be the perfect soldier."

Before he could say another word, she fired her last two bullets into his stomach and chest. Shocked, Stryker stumbled backwards slightly before mustering up just enough strength to lift his arm again and take aim. He fired one shot, sending the bullet directly into her forehead.

She fell backwards heavily as the sound of sirens grew closer.

Remy, who had headed toward the building in an effort to locate her after disposing of Agent Zero, returned to find her unconscious mere feet away from Stryker's dead body. He bit his bottom lip and stared at her for a second before picking her up and gently placing her inside of the helicopter.

He climbed into the pilot's seat and took off.

Meanwhile, inside of the building, Logan blinked his eyes open to see a strange man with a nasty bump on his head leaning over him.

"Hey...you OK?"

Logan rubbed his forehead and sat up, "What's my name?"

John gave him a funny look, "Say what?"

"What. Is. My. Name?"

"Your friends call ya Logan...everyone else calls you Wolverine."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows and got to his feet, "Where am I?"

Before John could answer, they both heard sirens, "Look man...we gotta go. Come on."

Logan looked him up and down, "You go ahead...I'll find my own way."

As Logan made his way out of the facility, he couldn't help but feel as though he was missing something...or someone...

* * *

**Ok...so I know this went by pretty fast, but I thought about it and decided that this just ins't one of those chapters I wanted to expand on. I do hope you liked it and there is PLENTY more to come! This is the end of Part 1. The next chapter will deal with a summary of what happens to them individually over the next few years.**

**Review please!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**I worked on this chapter for a while! This is the beginning of Part 2, so it's really long. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Marie woke up to see a ceiling fan rhythmically twirling above her head. Her eyes slowly adjusted as she propped herself up on her elbows to take a look around the dark bedroom. The sound of a door closing somewhere startled her and made her scramble backwards on the bed.

When the door opened, a low growl escaped her lips as she backed even further into the wall beside the bed, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"It's me, Remy...don't you remember?"

She eyed him cautiously and jumped as he took a step forward, "What's my name?"

"What the hell do you mean?"

Marie jumped up and grabbed Remy by the collar before slamming him into the nearest wall with a strength that surprised him, "Don't fuck with me! What. Is. My. Name?"

"Rogue...but ya friends call ya Marie, petite..."

She blinked and released him as she searched her blank memory bank for any recollection of her own name, her history, or her personality...but she came up with nothing.

"Marie...I'm a friend. My name is Remy. Remy LeBeau...I ain't gonna hurt you, doll."

Marie pursed her lips together and took a step back, "I don't...I don't know who I am...I have to go."

Before he could say anymore, she rushed out of the room. When he tried to grab her, she slipped from his grip and grabbed him by the neck, "Back. Off."

A squeeze for emphasis told him she meant business. When she released him, he stumbled backwards and coughed a little as he rubbed his throat. Despite the fact that she nearly crushed his wind pipe with one of her tiny, delicate hands, Remy was pretty turned on...

Marie raced down a dark stair well and out the door. She was immediately met by a large crowd of people, laughing, drinking and engaging in general merriment. Definitely not what she needed right now...the sound seemed to be overwhelming her.

After walking down the block, she glanced up at a sign that read "Bourbon St." before turning down a quieter, less crowded street. She just wanted to get away from the noise...

Before long, she found herself walking down a dark alley, her arms folded and her head down. The faraway, yet clear sound of footsteps behind her made her stop. Part of her hoped it was just that Remy-guy coming to check on her...but when she heard an unfamiliar, gruff voice approach, "Hey babydoll...want some company?"

Marie turned around to see the sketchy looking skinhead leering at her, "No. I'd prefer to be left alone."

He stepped a little bit closer, prompting a snarl to form on her lips as he spoke, "Well, I think you could use a little bit of friendly company...you look quite lonely."

"Look, asshole. I'm not in the mood for this kinda bullshit. Now just back the hell off!"

The skinhead pulled a pocketknife from his jacket pocket and opened it before pointing it at her. Instinctively, Marie grabbed the wrist that held the knife and twisted it painfully, making him cry out and drop the knife. Using his wrist to hold him steady, she kicked him in stomach, successfully knocking him against the brick wall of the building in front of them.

After a brief cough, the man grumbled, "You bitch!" before charging her and swinging wildly. Instincts took over as Marie dodged and ducked to avoid his erratic swings. The faraway sound of someone calling her name briefly distracted Marie, allowing the skinhead to catch her with a right hook to the side of her face.

Stunned and surprised, she lost her balance and fell against some trash cans. The guy grabbed her by the arm and pushed her up against the wall, "You'll be nicer to me now...right?"

Suddenly, Marie grabbed his neck. After being hit, her powers had automatically activated and she felt herself absorbing the man's life force.

Remy, who had been around the corner calling her name, suddenly entered the alley with his cane. He rushed forward and slammed the tip of it into the ground, effectively knocking Marie off of her unconscious, twitching attacker.

He tried to reach to help her up, but she quickly shook her head, "No! No! Don't touch me! My skin...my skin...it absorbed him."

"Come on, Marie...you can turn it off. You'll be OK. Just calm down and take my hand."

Marie's bottom lip trembled as she looked from his extended hand to his sincere eyes. In that moment, Remy knew that, despite her strength and power, she was still uniquely delicate.

She slowly closed her eyes and breathed out before reaching up and taking his hand. She didn't feel the pull...so she let out a slow breath and allowed him to lead her back to his apartment.

He sat her down on the couch of his living room and got her some water. They sat there for several moments of silence before she whispered, "I don't know who I am...or what I am..."

He nodded, "Remy gathered that petite...musta hit your head pretty hard. What happened back there?"

She slowly took a sip of water, desperately trying to grasp a hold of her newfound reality, "I dunno...it's like I was absorbing him. I felt his thoughts and his anger...I still do. I don't know how it started...or why..."

"Did he trigger it some way?"

Marie pursed her lips together, "Right before it happened, he hit me...and it hurt, the bastard...".

"That must've been it, petite. It's probably hard for you to control your powers when you're hurt." Remy eyed her sympathetically and sighed, "Look, cher...maybe you should get cleaned up, eat a little something and we can talk a little."

He showed her to the bathroom, showed her where all her toiletries were, then left the room and closed the door behind him. He went to his kitchen and began pulling out the take out he'd gotten while she was still unconscious and began making plates and heating it up.

As he listened to the shower start in the next room, he battled with the idea of telling her about the angry, growling man she'd so obviously been involved with. He didn't know exactly who she was, where she came from, or why they needed to even go to that god forsaken island he'd been held at, but she was a woman with no memory. Every detail that he could spare could be vital to her.

After her shower, Marie wiped the steam from the bathroom window and stared at herself. She took some time to examine her body from head to toe. She had a couple of small moles, but other than that, no discernible scars. Just as she was about to wrap the towel around her, she noticed three slanted scars directly in the middle of her chest. She ran her fingers over the light marks before wrapping her towel around her.

Just as Remy was sitting their food on the table, Marie emerged from the bathroom wearing a towel and wet hair. Suddenly, thoughts of telling her about her growly friend had flown out the window.

Remy LeBeau had never thought himself to be a "good" person. After all, he was a thief and a liar...and he'd been called such his entire life. The porcelain goddess that stood before him seemed as good a reason as any to live up to his nicknames of thief, liar, cheat and snake.

"I don't have any clean clothes."

He nodded before averting his eyes from her tempting frame, "Uh...I'll give you some of my sweats til I'm able to go get ya some of your own. Why don't you sit down and have a nibble while I grab you some clothes?"

She nodded and slowly sat down, crossing her legs to avoid flashing him.

After she finished eating, she returned to the bedroom to change into her oversized, borrowed clothes.

When she returned to the kitchen/living area, Remy was clearing the dishes. She sat back down at the table and slowly crossed her arms, "So, LeBeau. How is it that I know you?"

Remy raised his brows at her directness as he turned back around, "We met through a mutual friend recently. I gave y'all a ride on my plane. You had an accident on three mile island and I found you there, unconscious."

"A mutual friend? Who was it?"

He pursed his lips together, hoping that he could think of a proper way to keep her from finding out about that Logan guy. "A man named John Wraith. Y'all were investigating some illegal operations, but I wasn't clear on the details."

"So...do you know if John was a close friend of mine?"

Remy sighed, "Far as I knew, y'all had just met. I didn't know John well, either. We just had a business arrangement. I think he might've died on the island, petite..."

Marie ran a hand through her hair, "So I wasn't with anyone else other than this John-guy?"

He looked her dead in the eyes, and lied, "No. You weren't with anyone else."

"I need to go back. There might be be some clues there."

Remy shook his head and regarded her sympathetically, "Sorry petite...the government ain't lettin' anyone in. They're coverin' up that whole situation with a story about a nuclear accident. It's on lock down. It's on just about every news channel..."

Marie sat back, defeated and feeling helpless, "That's it, then. I'm nobody with nothing."

He sat forward and slowly took her hand. He was relieved when she didn't automatically yank away, "I can help you, Marie."

She looked at him suspiciously before slowly removing her hand from his, "Why would you wanna help me?"

Remy smiled, "I ain't tryin' to imply nothin', petite...I met you and liked you. Now you need help. I can give you that help."

Marie eyed him cautiously for a few minutes before slowly nodding, "Fine...but I sleep on the couch. You sleep on the bed. No funny business. I'll clean or somethin' to earn my keep until I'm able to get a real job and save up enough to hit the road."

"Fair enough, doll."

That night, Remy insisted she sleep in his bed. As he settled down on the couch, he heard a soft sniffle coming from his bedroom. A few more moments passed and the unmistakable sound of a muffled sob resounded from her direction.

Remy sighed sadly and pursed his lips as he stared up at the ceiling. He would do what he could to help her...as long as it meant not losing her...

* * *

The next morning, Remy got up early and made his way to the nearest clothing store to pick up a few things for Marie. He used the clothes she'd left in the bathroom hamper as his size template and returned just as she was stepping out of the shower.

He sat the bags on the kitchen table, "Got a few things for ya to wear out here, petite."

Marie poked her head out of the bathroom door, "Would you mind handin' me the bag?"

Without thinking, Remy grabbed the bag and walked over to her awaiting hand. When she emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing simple jeans, a tee shirt and flip flops. Her wet hair hung in heavy waves down her back and around her face.

"You wanna eat breakfast here, or on our way out?"

She quirked an eyebrow, "Out where?"

"I know a mutant who can help us. She's a telepath and she can sense powers, so she can give you a better understandin' of your mutation."

Marie nodded slowly, "Let's just eat here."

They ate a quick bowl of cereal before leaving. They climbed into Remy's Jaguar convertible before taking off down the road. Marie examined the car as she sat in it, "This yours?"

Remy smirked and glanced at her out the corner of her eye, "Somethin' like that, petite."

"What is it that you do, LeBeau?"

The cajun chuckled as they turned onto the highway, "I do a lot of things, belle."

Marie rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean. What do you do to afford your swanky little pad and this hot car?"

One look at her face told Remy she wasn't going to let this go, so he decided to be honest...if only this once, "I gamble...a lot. And I'm good at it. Lots of the folks I play with call me Gambit."

"Hm...Gambit..."

"I prefer you call me Remy, belle."

Marie smirked, "Maybe I will...or maybe I'll just call you swamp rat."

"How bout you reserve that for when Remy deserves it?"

"Fair 'nough."

Thirty minutes later, they pulled up the driveway of a large, southern mansion, complete with antebellum columns and plantation shutters.

They stepped out of the car together, but Gambit held up a hand, "Wait here, petite. I'm gonna make sure she's here."

Marie closed her door and leaned back against the car as he jogged up the porch steps and knocked on the door. He opened it when he got no response and stepped inside before closing the door behind him to be sure Marie didn't follow him without his knowledge.

He stepped into the grand foyer and looked around, "Anybody home?"

A telepathic message was sent directly into his mind, "What the hell do you want?"

Remy smiled, "Come out, come out wherever you are..."

He walked further into the house, but the telepath stepped out of the study at the end of the hallway. As usual, she was scantily clad in an all white ensemble that must've been inspired by some bondage porno film.

"Emma...you look good."

She crossed her arms and looked him up and down, "And you look...well...like you. What are you doing here?"

"I need your help."

Emma smirked, "Wow! That takes balls. After the shit you pulled on me, you drag your sorry ass back here thinking I would help you? What are you smoking, Remy?"

Remy reached into his pocket and produced a thick wad of cash, "This motivate ya a little?"

She raised a brow and took a step forward. Remy playfully waved the stack in front of her face before she quickly snatched it away and ran her fingers over the bills.

When she looked back up at him, she was a lot more cooperative, "What is it you need my help with?"

"Well, I got this girl...Marie...I want you to do a readin' on. I want you to tell her as much as you can about her past and her powers...but don't say a word if you see anything about a guy named Wolverine or Logan..."

Emma rolled her eyes before tucking the cash into her bra, "I shoulda known this was about a girl. The only things that motivate you to do anything is either your wallet or your dick."

"Oh baby, you know me so well...do we have a deal?"

She nodded and put her hands on her hips, "Bring her in."

Remy rushed out to find Marie pacing around the car, "Alright Belle...she's agreed to help ya."

He led her into the house where Emma met her with a polite, but cold smile, "Hello...Marie, is it?"

Marie nodded, "Thanks for seein' me at such short notice."

"Nonsense. Remy is an old friend. I'm glad to help. Now..." Emma led them into the study, where she guided Marie into a chair and raised her hands to hover over either side of her head, "...this isn't going to hurt. Just relax...OK?"

Marie nodded and closed her eyes as Emma became to attempt to access every available memory Marie had to offer...which wasn't much.

Within a few minutes, she was done and let out a breath. She didn't see a lot, but what she did see contained quick flashes of the "Logan" guy Remy had asked her not to mention.

"Well Marie...I got good news and bad news. Which do ya want first?"

Marie let out a breath, "Bad."

"I don't see many memories and what I do see is badly fragmented. I know you were on 3 Mile Island looking for a friend, but I can't tell who. I don't see anything about families, friends, or significant others...but the good news is, I do know about your powers. You're an absorber. What that means is, if you touch someone, you take on their life force. With regular humans, you could easily kill them and take on their personalities or thoughts. With mutants, you take on their powers. It seems you've picked up a few gifts in you time."

"Like what?" asked Marie curiously.

Emma plopped down on the couch, "Speed, strength, agility and, most importantly, a healing factor which allows you to heal from virtually any injury and significantly slows your aging. Now, since the healing factor you possess isn't natural to your body, I'm not sure how it's going to affect your aging."

Remy stood, "That it?"

Emma glanced at Remy and briefly glared, "That's the jist of it..."

After they left Emma's place, they rode back to Remy's apartment in silence. When they parked, Remy turned to Marie, "I'm sorry-"

Marie cut him off, "Don't be. You tried...and I thank you for that. Not a lot of people would be willin' to help a basket case like me."

Remy gently flicked her chocolate brown hair out of her eyes, "You ain't no basket case, belle...you're beautiful."

She blushed slightly before clearing her throat and getting out of the car, successfully ending the "moment" they were sharing.

* * *

Twenty four hours after Logan woke up on the strange island, he sat in a seedy bar, spending fifty of the two hundred dollars he had in his pocket on shot after shot of "the strongest shit you've got". As he downed his 11th shot, he noticed the bar tender staring at him.

"Got a problem, bub?"

The tender cleared his throat, "You're drinkin' cheap whiskey like it's water. Most men would have to be peeled off the floor by the third shot."

Logan stood up and looked around, "There a bus station or somethin' around here?"

The bar tender nodded, "Yep. Just across the street. They run once a day in the evening...heading west. The line this one runs on ends somewhere outside of Chicago."

Logan grunted a "thanks" before heading across the street to the tiny general store. The middle aged woman who worked behind the counter smiled at him. Logan watched as she straightened upon his arrival. Giving her a second look, he realized she would have been pretty...if she didn't wear so much make up and have hair that she teased to the point where it stood a full foot on top of her head.

"What can I do ya for, hon?"

He reached into his pocket and grabbed the wad of cash, "How much for a bus ticket to Chicago?"

"That'll be $300."

Logan cringed slightly and cursed, "Shit...know of any place around here that I can make some quick cash?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, "I could give you a discount..."

He narrowed his eyes, "Is that so?"

She nodded and leaned over the counter, squeezing her breasts together slightly. An internal battle erupted within Logan's head. He wasn't sure if he was a man with morals...he wasn't sure if he had honor...or even a wife for that matter..but he did know is that he needed to get the hell outta dodge.

Just as he was about to give his answer, an overweight man walked to the counter from the back of the store, "Muriel, what are you doin'? You're supposed to be coverin' at the diner!"

The fat man shooed "Muriel" away after some protest, then turned to Logan, "What can I help you with?"

"I was...I was just wondering if you knew of a way I could make some quick cash. Got any odd jobs or anything? I need a bus ticket outta here."

The man thought for a second, "Hmmm...quick cash...quick cash...oh! There's this bar at the edge of town where they have fightin' every Thursday and Saturday night...like a cage fightin' place. You look like the type of guy who might be able to handle himself in the ring. I hear you can make a thousand bucks a night if you win a fight there."

Logan took down the address of the bar and thanked the man. As he walked out of the store, he breathed a sigh of relief. He may not be sure about his own morals just yet, but he knew he wasn't prepared to have sex for money...but fighting settled with him just fine.

That night, he found himself in the cage, being announced as "The Wolverine". He figured it would be a more appropriate name than what his supposed "friends" called him.

Who were these friends?  
Did he have a family?  
Would they try to find him?  
Did anyone give a damn that he was missing?

The roar of the crowd snapped him back to attention. Not surprisingly, his natural instincts made him an extremely effective fighter. He easily put down his opponent and collected almost $2000 in winnings before checking into a motel and catching a bus the next day. At every stop, he decided to get out to see if there was a cage fighting venue around. By the time he got to Chicago, he had collected $4200.

He bought a beat up old truck and set off on the open road, stopping in remote towns to perform odd jobs and fight in the cage fighting circuit.

For years, he would wander aimlessly, fighting like an animal and hopping from town to town.

Virtually every time he stepped into a bar, the waitresses tripped over themselves in an effort to impress him. For some reason, Logan instinctively preferred young brunettes.

Despite his numerous liasons, he'd always return to an empty hotel room.

Ever since waking up on the island, he felt incomplete...almost as if he had a phantom limb. In the dead of night, he would lay in bed, thinking about his past...wondering if someone out there was missing him...

* * *

Three months after Remy brought Marie to New Orleans to stay with him, she was working a job as a waitress in a restaurant in the French Quarter. Remy had helped her land the job since the owner of the restaurant had recently lost a card game to Remy and owed him upwards of $2000.

They alternated between taking turns sleeping on the couch and bed, much to Remy's dismay. He had hoped to break her down a little by now, but she remained wary of his advances.

Remy would flirt relentlessly and drop various hints concerning his attraction toward her, but every advance was met with obliviousness from Marie, who seemed completely preoccupied with raising enough money to head back up north in a futile effort to find out more about her past.

He'd even gone so far as to "accidentally" pop in on her when she was in the shower.

Instead of squealing and immediately making an effort to cover up, as most girls would have done, she put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow before saying, "Do you mind?"

After a quick apology, Remy vacated the bathroom. As soon as the door was shut, he smiled to himself. The vision of her wet, naked body permanently imprinted on his brain.

From that moment on, Remy's desire to possess her took on a mind of its own.

* * *

**Review please! A reunion WILL happen eventually! Just be patient with me!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright readers, you're going to have to put up with a Romy lemon in here. If you absolutely can't tolerate it, look out for this little warning ~~~. If you see the three squiggly lines, skip it, but I suggest you don't, because the lemon has a lot to do with why Marie needs to realize that Remy ISN'T the one for her.**

* * *

Remy's patience was wearing thin. Months ticked by and...nothing.

Six months after the island, he was well aware that her so-called obliviousness was simply her ignoring his advances and affection to her.

On more than one occasion, he noticed that her gaze would linger on his naked chest whenever he exited the bathroom on his way to the bedroom to get dressed. He caught her gazing at him and even grazed his cheek a few time during a couple of tender moments they had shared.

But never anything more.

The fleeting touches and intense gazes were just too much for him. He needed to confront her...make her make a move.

He knew she wanted him...or at least she wanted sex. On nights when she slept in the bedroom, he often heard a soft sigh or whimper. Making it obvious that she was masturbating.

During one, quiet evening, Marie was drying the dishes in the kitchen when Remy came up and stood next to her, "You look pretty tonight, Belle."

Marie blushed and looked intently at the dish in her hands before muttering a "thanks". She bit her lip, praying that the moment would just pass and he would go sit back down...but no such luck.

A tingle ran up her spine as he reached over and brushed her hair off of her neck before leaning over. Just as he was about to connect his lips to her neck, she smoothly slipped away from him.

"I ain't gonna hurt you, petite."

Marie sighed, "I'm not worried about you hurting me...I'm worried about hurting you."

"What do you mean?"

Her bottom lip trembled as she plopped down on the couch and looked at her hands, "Emma said I absorbed other people to get some of the powers I have...that means I must've hurt people...and I have a bad feeling I might've hurt people on purpose. I may not know who I am now, but what if I wake up one day and remember that I'm a cold blooded killer? What if I'm a bad person? I can't start anything with you not knowing who or what I am..."

Remy knelt in front of her and put his hands on her legs as he looked into her eyes, "Belle...I can tell ya who you are."

Marie raised her eyebrows, "You can?"

"You're beautiful...you're kind...you're strong...and you got a wicked sense of humor. Fuck your past. Look to your future..."

Remy gently cupped her face in his hands before pulling her lips to his and kissing her passionately on the lips. Marie moaned as she eagerly returned the kiss and moved down to the floor in front of him before wrapping her arms around his neck.

He desperately crushed her body against his as their tongues played tug of war, but it came to an end all too soon. Marie pulled her lips away and attempted to pry his arms from around her waist, "No...we can't."

"Yes. We can", he whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her again.

"Remy...no!" she yelled before pushing him away and running to the bedroom.

The sound of the door slamming echoed in the apartment for minutes after it had shut. He groaned and grabbed his jacket before leaving the apartment to take a walk.

The entire time he was away, he was seething. Why couldn't just let go of who she *might* be and be who she is? He stopped at a bar to have a few drinks and drown his frustrations.

By the time he returned to the apartment, the air was thick and smelled of Marie's shampoo, but once again, the bedroom door was closed. She'd taken a shower while he was gone and had probably gone to bed.

Remy stripped out of his coat, then his shoes and shirt. Just as he was about to lay down, he heard a small moan come from the bedroom.

He slowly crept to the door to listen, but the sounds stopped. Her sensitive hearing must have picked up on his movement, because even her breathing was stilled.

Boldly, Remy took a hold of the door knob and entered. He found her laying there, looking flushed, "What are you doing?"

He slowly stepped forward, making her grab her blankets around her tighter. Remy smiled, "I heard what you were doin' in here..."

"Leave..." she said as she sat up.

"No. I want you. You want me...it ain't got to be anymore complicated than that, belle." She started to say something, but he quickly leaned over and put a finger against her mouth. She looked into his eyes and laid back down as he climbed onto the bed on top of her.

~~~Remy moved his finger and quickly replaced it with his lips as he yanked the blankets out from between them and pressed himself between her spreading thighs.

Marie arched beneath him and gasped as his covered groin brushed against her bare crotch. He moved his lips from her mouth to her neck as he reached between them and began expertly undoing his pants with one hand.

When his erection sprang forward, he brushed his fingers against Marie's moist crevice and murmured against her ear, "I wanna be inside of you so bad..."

Marie responded by rolling them over and landing on top of him. She yanked off the giant t shirt she wore as a nightgown and tossed it away before positioning herself atop him and sinking down onto his throbbing member.

Remy's mouth fell open as he he was overcome with pleasure. He couldn't speak or move...he could barely make a sound as her hips began to roll and wiggle, working their voodoo magic.

As he stared up at her naked body, he wanted so badly to reach up and squeeze her breasts, but once again, the pleasure of her quivering flesh wrapped around his cock made it virtually impossible for him to do anything but pant as she threw her head back and rocked against him, moaning and gasping.

Finally, Remy began to regain control of his faculties. As he reached up to grab her breasts, he moaned, "Damn baby...you feel too good..."

Marie's movements grew faster and rougher as she smirked, "You're not so bad yourself, LeBeau..."

Remy's eyes rolled to the back of his head. This girl was too much...he wasn't sure he would survive this much pleasure. All he could do was lay there and let her have her way with him like he was some sort of living doll.

"Oh god! Remy! I'm close!"

_"Thank god",_he thought. He had been feeling like he'd been ready to come since the moment she sunk down on him.

Marie growled softly as she reached down and ran her fingernails over his pecs. He hissed in pain and surprise as she drew a small amount of blood, but didn't let that deter him from his ultimate goal.

A few moments later, she cried out and threw her head back as she came hard. Remy let himself go almost as soon as he felt her muscles clamp down on him.

She smirked as she leaned down and kissed his neck, oblivious to the fact that he was barely conscious.

Remy was surprised and startled when she didn't move from atop him, but instead, continued caressing his body.

"Uhhh...what ya doin', belle?"

Marie grinned mischievously and rolled her hips as his softening member jumped within her, "What do you think I'm doin'? You can't possibly think I'm done with you..."

Remy's body trembled as she began nibbling on her ear.

_"This is it. This is how I'm going to die",_he thought to himself as shivers ran up his spine.

He smirked a little. Death by orgasm isn't a bad way to go. Her insatiable body was moving atop him again with renewed vigor. His newly re-erected penis twitched and he knew that this time, he might be able to last longer. He grabbed her hips and rolled them over as he laid a kiss against her lips.

Marie scratched down his back and locked her firm thighs tightly around his waist in order to prevent any premature escape from the vice grip of her dripping wet snatch.

Remy shut his eyes tight, "Petite...you're so beautiful...you're like a damn goddess-"

"Jus shut up and fuck me, LeBeau!"

He obeyed as he eagerly drilled into her, their bodies obscenely slapping together as she cried out in pleasure, "Oh yes! Yes!"

Remy groaned his way through a powerful release and collapsed atop her, panting and sweating from the exertion of his second release. He'd be lucky if he had enough energy to lift himself off of her exquisite body.

Minutes later, when he'd drug himself off of her and plopped face first onto the mattress next to her, he was halfway startled and halfway impressed to feel her hand roam down his back.

Could it be possible that she was trying to go AGAIN?

He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. By the time Marie's advances became more noticeable, he had fallen into a much needed slumber.

Disappointed, she plopped onto the bed beside him and fell asleep.~~~

* * *

Marie's insatiable sexual appetite became one of their major unspoken issues as their relationship moved forward. There were times when one orgasm was just fine, but Remy often found himself on the business end of her desire for three or more climaxes.

Although not wholly satisfied physically, Marie stayed with Remy because of his affection toward her and the help he'd given her when she was destitute. She wasn't sure if what she felt for him was the "real thing", but she realized that there was a chance she'd never know exactly what that was, so she stayed with him through thick and thin.

Over the next fifteen years, Marie and Remy's relationship experienced multiple trials and tribulations.

For some reason, Marie developed a bit of a wandering eye during her relationship with him.

If she could remember her past, she'd know that her desire to stray was more than an issue of sexual satisfaction. As long as a feral found their mate, they were together for life and faithful. But Marie's instincts and subconscious knew that Remy was not her true mate...so her body continued the search, even if her mind and conscience wasn't quite on board with the whole "cheating" deal.

She was wracked with guilt, and it showed. Remy, having been a professional liar his whole life, immediately recognized the lie. When he demanded to know where she'd been, she barely remembered the name of the man she'd had her one night stand with.

Marie apologized profusely. After all, he'd been so good to her...how could she do such a thing? They resolved the conflict after a long, drawn out discussion. Remy seemed relieved and thankful that she didn't want to leave him...which is probably why he let it slide when she failed to promise that it would never happen again...

Several other, smaller issues plagued them, but they couldn't seem to escape each other...no matter how bad it got. Even when she came home from one of her liasons to find him drunk, waiting for her...

She walked in and set her bag down, "What are you still doin' up?"

Remy stood and lazily sauntered over to her, still holding the bottle of bourbon, "I thought it might be a good idea to wait up for you...see what low life you came home smelling like this time."

Marie closed her eyes as she shrugged off her coat and tossed it over the back of a nearby chair, "It's late. You're drunk. We'll talk tomorrow."

She tried to brush by him to head to the bathroom, but he grabbed her arm, "You're not a whore, Marie! So why do you insist on actin' like one?"

She snatched out of his grip and held a hand up, "Remy. Stop it. I'm not talking to you when you're like this. Go to bed."

And with that, she left him standing in the living room, seething. Marie was distracted by the sound of the running water, so even her enhanced senses didn't pick up on Remy entering the bathroom.

She screamed when he snatched back the shower curtain and eyed her with his angry eyes that had begun to flash red and black. Marie tried to grab a hold of the shower curtain to pull it back in place, but his grip was unrelenting.

"I hope you washed all that dirty motherfucker's cum off of you!"

"Remy-"

He suddenly grabbed the handheld shower head from its place and began spraying her in the face. He grabbed some shower gel and began angrily squirting it at her as she yelled at him, "Remy! Stop!"

"You act like a dirty whore, I'll treat you like one!"

Marie managed to slap the shower head out of his hand and before landing a hard slap to the side of his face.

Remy touched his cheek before slowly dropping the shower gel and staring at her in shock. Marie quickly rinsed off and grabbed a towel before rushing out of the shower with tears in her eyes.

Remy, meanwhile, still stood there in shock. He'd lost it. He'd never acted like this before...but then again, he'd never been cheated on before. HE was usually the one doing the cheating and on the receiving end of a woman's tantrum.

One of the main reasons he'd gone through four cars in three years was because of the mutilation they'd been through at the hands of women he'd wronged.

Deep down, he knew it was his own fault. The charming, smooth talking cajun knew just what to say to keep a woman begging for more...including "I love ya, belle...you're the only one for me."

So it was no surprise when she found out that she was just "one" of many that she didn't take it too well.

He now understood the level of rage and anger that those women had when they took a crowbar and keys to his cars.

He'd lost his cool and it was because he was in love with Marie...and it killed him to know that he wasn't enough for her. Yes...payback was a raven-haired bitch.

Now here they were, 15 years later and hanging on by a thread because of his drinking and gambling and her body's constant hunt for her mate. They were constantly breaking up and getting back together, but in the end, Remy was too in love with her to stay away, and Marie was too afraid to let go of the only familiar thing she had since waking up all those years ago.

Sure, she'd made friends in the past decade and a half...but Remy had been there since day one. He was her only form of a past...he was all she had. If she lost him, she would feel as though she was losing her memory all over again.

Remy was now nearly 40. He was still handsome, and his age had only made him more distinguished than he had been as a young man barely in his twenties.

Marie, however, still didn't look a day over 19. The one thing on her that _had_aged, was her hair. Two streaks of white hair now framed her still teenaged face.

The fact that Marie was still the same young knock out she was when they first met only served to make Remy's jealousy and distrust of her even worse. Of course, she'd struggled with remaining faithful to him long before people started asking if he was her uncle when they went out, but Remy was having a difficult time being the far less publicly gawked at one in the relationship.

* * *

One evening, while they were hanging out at their favorite bar, Marie and Remy spotted a couple of unfamiliar faces enter. Of course, Marie raised a brow at the man with the red sunglasses on, while Remy sent a brief, respectful glance in the direction of the white haired, dark-skinned woman that accompanied him.

Marie watched the woman whisper something to the man, then nod in their general direction and make their way to their booth. Remy tightened his grip around Marie's shoulders when the guy in the red sunglasses approached.

"Are these seats taken?" asked the chiseled man.

Remy eyed him carefully and motioned toward the seats, "Not at all, friend. Please, have a seat."

When the strangers were settled, the white haired woman spoke, "My name is Ororo Munroe...and this is my friend, Scott Summers. We're in town temporarily...looking for recruits."

Marie raised a brow, "Recruits for what?"

Scott clasped his hands together, "Have you ever heard of a man named Charles Xavier?"

Remy and Marie both nodded, but only Remy spoke up, "Ain't he that man that's always talkin' bout mutant-human equality?"

Ororo nodded, "Yes. He's an active spokesperson when it comes to mutant rights. He has a school in Westchester, New York...it's a school for mutant children. Most of them are runaways or were shunned by their families because of their mutations."

For some reason, that sparked Marie's interest. She sat forward in her seat, "Sounds like a pretty noble cause...but I still don't see why you need recruits."

Scott spoke up, "Well, aside from the school, Charles Xavier formed a mutant task force called the X Men. We find the most gifted mutants and train them to fight for the good of human-mutant relations everywhere."

There was a moment of silence on Marie and Remy's side of the table until they both erupted in laughter. Scott and Ororo looked unsurprised at their reaction.

Marie shook her head and snorted a little, "Wow. You two sure are good for a laugh!"

"So, do you guys have uniforms? Do the women wear leotards and spandex?"

Ororo sighed, "It may sound far fetched, but it's true. While Charles openly tackles the issue of mutant equality diplomatically, we have enemies who are going about the job...a little differently."

"Violently", said Scott.

The white haired woman nodded in agreement, "Yes...violently."

"So...this team plays super hero? I'm sure that can't be a 24/7 job. What do you do with the rest of your time?" asked Marie.

"We teach and train the students. I teach all mathematics courses, Scott teaches history and social studies. His fiance, Jean, teaches biology and chemistry, and the professor teaches Physics and ethics courses."

Marie raised a brow and sat back, "Why us?"

"A telepath by the name of Emma Frost told us about both of you. She said that you were both very powerful and might be willing to join our cause."

Remy muttered and shook his head, "Emma...shit. She still with y'all?"

Scott shook his head, "She's just an old student of the professor's. She drops in and out frequently and when we asked if she'd be willing to stay, she declined, but gave us the name of two mutants who could be of some help to us...you. She said you're both class 5."

Marie crossed her arms, "Well, I don't know what I'd teach...I'm not necessarily a scholar, and, as far as I know, I didn't go to college. I know Remy didn't go."

"Well, as far as Remy goes, we think he'd be a good fit teaching Battle Strategies and Tactics since Emma claimed you were a master of deception."

Remy turned a deep shade of red and cleared his throat as Ororo turned to Marie, "And Marie...we thought you might work well as one of our self defense instructors. She said she'd read your mind before and had impeccable instincts."

Marie nodded in agreement. With all her late night partying and random, one night stands, she'd had to protect herself on more than one occasion. She cleared her throat, "What's the pay like?"

Scott pulled out a pad and pen. As he wrote, he spoke, "Remember...this includes room, board, food, utilities...everything, since you'll be expected to live in the school."

He slid the paper across the table. Marie and Remy's eyebrows both shot up.

"Pretty generous for an honest days work", said Remy suspiciously.

Marie rolled her eyes and muttered, "Like you'd known anything about an honest days work..."

Remy's jaw clenched as the tense moment didn't go unnoticed by the two sitting opposite them on the other side of the booth.

"So...are you interested?"

Remy quickly spoke up, "No. We're not."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows, "Excuse me, but I do believe I can speak for myself..."

Again, Scott and Ororo exchanged looks. Scott pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Marie, "We'll be leaving here tomorrow night. If either of you are interested in the offer, show up at that address by 8 tomorrow."

That night, after returning to their apartment, Marie let loose on Remy, "Why would you wanna turn this opportunity down? I've been working as a waitress, bar tender, hostess and receptionist for fifteen years. I'm sick of it! I want something real!"

Remy yanked off his jacket, "I told you you could stop working."

"Right, so I can play housewife and depend on you for money."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Marie threw her hands up, "You GAMBLE for a living, remember, Gambit? That's not necessarily the foundation of a decent, ten year plan."

He sighed, "I'm not cut out to play hero. I live this way because that's how I like it. I haven't been waitin' on somethin' better to come along...and I was hopin' you hadn't been either..."

She sighed and put her hands on her hips, "This just doesn't feel natural to me...I need to try somethin' else."

"So that's it. We either do this together or you go without me?"

Marie nodded, "Yeah...that's pretty much it."

Remy took her by the waist and pulled her to him, "Tell ya what...I'll go with you...but if I'm not happy...we'll figure it out..."

He kissed her, then gave her a sweet hug as she fought back the need to tell him that she rather he didn't come...

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, they touched down in the hangar at the X mansion. They were escorted through the sterile looking lower levels of the mansion before boarding an elevator. Ororo, or "Storm" as she preferred to be called inside of the mansion, told them that they would get a full tour the next day, after they'd had a chance to settle in and get some rest.

Marie's excitement was evident when she woke up early the next morning to eat breakfast and tour the mansion.

Remy, meanwhile, drug his feet the whole morning and acted as if he was hung over...even though he didn't have a drop of alcohol the previous day.

Marie delighted in meeting some of the children and happily toured the vast mansion after breakfast. When they arrived in the lower levels, they finally met Professor Xavier and Jean Grey.

They had just come from examining one of their other new recruits. As Marie engaged them in conversation, Remy sighed, "Welp, I'm gonna head back up. I think I've seen enough of down here..."

Jean, the professor and Storm smiled, "We can take you...Marie, are you coming?"

"I think I'll keep exploring...you said my class was down here and every single one of these hallways looks alike, so I guess I should get familiar with it so I'm not late for my first day!"

The professor smiled, "Very well..."

Marie waved at the trio as they left, then turned around and began making her way down the hallway. She happened upon the gym before coming across a series of rooms that must have made of the infirmary. When she nosily poked her head into the last room, she was confronted with the very chiseled, bare back of a man who was just picking up his shirt.

"Oops! Sorry...didn't know anyone was..." Marie's voice trailed off as her mouth dropped open. The front was most definitely more impressive than the back. Not only was his body a work of art, but his face was the picture of manly handsomeness..containing deliciously untamed muttonchops and a head full of wild hair.

The depth of his hazel eyes nearly shocked her as they met her own.

She thought she would melt when he simply said, "Hey..."

Her lips quirked into a stupid, half smile as she nearly whispered, "Hey..."

There was a long, surprisingly not awkward, moment of silence before she finally spoke, "I'm a new recruit...I was just tryin' to familiarize myself with the lay out since my class is down here."

The man finally put his shirt on and quirked an eyebrow, "Your class is down here? What are you teaching?"

"Self defense."

"Me too", he murmured gruffly.

He walked toward her and extended his hand. She reached forward and shook his hand. As soon as their skin connected, she felt as though a jolt of electricity was sent through her body.

Everything about him intoxicated her...from his appearance to the deep rumble of his voice...he was perfect. She breathed in through her nostrils and had to fight to keep her eyes open. He smelled so good...

Meanwhile, Logan was in his own state of euphoria. Everything about her made him want to throw her down and take her right on the cold, hard floor of the med lab.

When Jean entered the room, they realized they were still holding hands and promptly let go.

Jean gave them a funny look, "Sorry...I left my phone down here. Logan, I see you met your future partner in crime. Marie here will be teaching self defense along with you."

Logan looked back at the girl with the white streaks in her hair and whispered her name, "Marie..."

She smiled, "Logan...it's nice to meet you. I guess I should get going..."

He nodded, "Likewise..."

Jean was surprised that he all but ignored her presence as he watched Marie leave.

* * *

**Hi all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Now, I know some of you may be upset about Marie's ooc tendencies, but (in my mind) this is how Marie would be if she absorbed enough of Logan to permanently retain his healing factor and personality traits. She's feral now, so her sexual appetite is insatiable compared to that of a non-feral. Part of her is still "Marie", being that she does have some form of guilt for sleeping around...unlike Logan, who just blows through women like it's nothing.**

**I know that I've also given Remy a pretty unflattering name, but I had to to keep the audience firmly on Rogan's side. He didn't want to hurt her. He's actually truly in love with her, but he's so used to being a "thief and liar", he's not too sure how to go about getting what he wants without lying. Please review!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

In a house full of eligible, handsome males, Remy wanted to make sure he cemented himself as Marie's boyfriend early on. Their room was located between Jean and Scott's and some guy named Piotr who had muscles the size of a grown man's head, so the morning of their first classes, he made sure to put on a nice show in the hallway of kissing and slobbing all over her in front of them as she left.

After prying Remy off of her, Marie arrived early to meet with Logan and go over the day's schedule and curriculum.

Her hair was in a tight ponytail and she wore a pair of spandex workout pants and a tank top. As she sat on the floor, stretching out her muscles, Logan walked in.

Having heard him coming, she made sure her butt was in the air by the time he arrived.

Logan stopped in his tracks and cleared his throat, "Uh...hi."

Marie looked up, feigning surprise as she straightened herself, "Hi. Just thought I should get loose. You ready to get started?"

"And eager to get finished...you sure you're teaching this class and not attending it?"

She raised a brow and smirked, "What makes you say that?"

Logan shrugged as he removed his sweat shirt to reveal a wife beater underneath. His buff arms distracted Marie as he spoke, "What are you? Nineteen? Twenty?"

Marie chuckled, "Um...actually, I'm much older than I look."

"And you think you can teach kids how to defend themselves from dangerous attackers?"

She smirked and crossed her arms, "I dunno...guess we'll have to see. What's your mutation by the way?"

"I heal...among other, not so pleasant, things."

Marie raised a brow, "I heal too, but it's not natural to my mutation...I absorb other people's powers, so it's likely I inherited my healing factor from someone I was in a fight with."

"Likely? You don't remember?"

Before she had the chance to answer, students began to file into the room. Logan immediately got started, barking at them to get them to start stretching. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched a couple of male students eye Marie's ass as she helped a girl stretch out her legs.

Logan snapped his fingers in front of their faces, "Next time I have to remind you to pay attention to what the hell you're doing, I'll knock you on your ass."

Marie clapped her hands together once, "Alright. I'm Marie, and I'm sure you know Logan by now. This is self defense, 101. We're here to give you the first tools you'll need in order to keep from dying in a fight."

One of the teenaged boys rolled his eyes, "We know how to do that. When do we learn how to kick some ass?"

She slowly walked over to the boy before suddenly kicking his feet out from under him and placing her foot against his throat after he landed hard on the floor. In response, Logan had to stave off a hard on.

"Let this be your first lesson...never let your guard down." Marie turned to the rest of the class, "When you finally grasp THAT concept, you might learn how to 'kick some ass'."

Logan cleared his throat and recovered from the insane desire that swept over him as he stepped forward to address the class, "She's right. As soon as you stop paying attention to your enemy...you're fucked."

"Do you want to show the kids a quick spar before we get into the swing of things?"

He raised a eyebrow and eyed her unassuming, yet drop dead gorgeous figure, "You? Spar...with me?"

Marie nodded before crouching a bit to get into a fighting stance. Logan did the same as he shrugged, "Alright, kid...I'll see what ya got."

She waited for him to swing first, then expertly blocked the attempted blow before delivering a few swings and kicks of her own.

For some reason, they were able to predict each other's each and every move and eventually, they were engaged in a furious, yet elegant dance that ended up far more passionate and drawn out than either one of them intended.

The spar ended with Logan getting distracted by the bounce of her breasts, so Marie promptly kicked his legs out from under him and knocked him on his back, panting and staring up at Marie, who wore a satisfied smirk, "I knew I'd get you on your back eventually..."

As Logan got up, Marie straightened and turned her attention back to the the class, "So...what did Logan do wrong?"

One of the teenaged boys snickered, "He let you get on top..."

The _*snikt*_ sound that came from behind Marie as Logan released three claws on one hand, "You got one more time before I filet your ass, pipsqueak."

The boy immediately quieted down and gulped at the sight of Logan's claws. Marie stared at them in curiosity and intrigue for a moment before clearing her throat and getting on with the rest of the class.

After the kids left the room, they were busy straightening out the class and putting the gloves and sparring pads away. Marie watched as Logan tossed a towel into the hamper, then ran a hand over his knuckles.

When he turned his eyes to hers, she quickly looked down and cleared her throat as she fiddled with the hem of the sweatshirt she picked up off the floor.

He looked at her, "So...good class."

She nodded and smiled, "Yeah. I think we work well together."

"Yep."

Marie started to turn and leave the room, but suddenly stopped and turned around, "Does it hurt when they come out?"

Logan immediately knew that she was referring to his claws. He looked down at his knuckles before looking back at her, "Every time..."

Remy chose that moment to enter the gym. He stopped in his tracks as his mouth dropped open upon seeing Logan. He muttered, "Mon dieu..."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows at Remy's shocked expression, which was followed by stunned silence as he stared at Logan.

She stepped toward Remy and waved a hand in front of his face, which seemed to break him out of his shock, "You OK there?"

He looked at her, then Logan, then her again, "Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine."

Logan quirked and eyebrow and turned around to set a couple more sets of gloves back in their places before preparing to walk out. This guy was clearly the extra scent he sensed on Marie..and he was not interested in getting to know him. The jealousy was already overwhelming. He glanced at Marie before leaving, "See ya tomorrow, kid."

"Alright..."

Remy was too preoccupied with Logan's presence to notice that Marie gawked at his ass as he left.

When he finally regained his ability to think and speak at the same time, he turned to her and pointed toward the door Logan had just exited, "That's the guy you're teaching the class with?"

She nodded, "Yeah. How was your first class? You OK? You look a little...sick..."

Remy tried to straighten and favor her with a smile, but it came off as weak and forced, "It was fine. Fine...we'll talk about it later. You wanna get some fresh air? I think I need some fresh air."

He barely waited for her to reply before he rushed out of the room, leaving her in perplexed silence.

That evening, Marie sat up in bed, going over the curriculum Scott "Tight Ass" Summers had given she and Logan. Neither one of them felt the desire to follow said curriculum, but she decided to give it a look just to keep Professor X placated.

Remy arrived in their room looking a little less frazzled than he did in the basement. She dropped the folder she was looked at and glanced at the clock. He'd skipped dinner and been gone for the better part of three hours.

"Where've you been?"

He scratched the back of his head before removing his jacket and tossing it on a nearby chair, "Out...walking. Thinking."

Marie quirked a brow, "Thinking...about what?"

Remy sat down on the edge of the bed and looked into her eyes, "I don't think it's going to work out for us here, belle."

She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, "We've haven't even been here that long. How do you even know it's not gonna work already?"

"I just have a bad feelin'. I...I don't trust the folks round here."

Marie laughed a little and dropped her pen, "What is really about, LeBeau? Come on...stop with the bullshit."

He looked into her eyes, then stood and paced a little, "It's that Jean woman...she made a pass at me and I don't feel comfortable round her..."

She laughed harder and rolled onto her back on the bed, holding her stomach, "Phew! Remy! You're killin' me."

"You don't believe me?"

Marie shook her head and stood, "It's not that I don't believe you...I just don't blame her. I mean...look at who she's engaged to. I'd need somethin' different too! Scott Summers may be hot, but his asshole is so tight, he probably needs daily enemas just to stay regular...good thing he's marryin' a doctor!

Remy crossed his arms, "You don't care if I get hit on?"

"Why would I?"

He regarded her carefully for a second before nodding, "Hm...shoulda known. I guess if I did get hit on and fuck some random chick, that would make you feel better for fucking every eligible male that you come across."

Marie's eyes suddenly grew cold and serious as she put her hands on her hips, "Remy. If you don't like it here, feel free to leave...but I love it here and I'm not leaving. You do what you want. I don't give a damn anymore."

She left him standing there as she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

Logan found her in the kitchen one lazy Saturday afternoon, rooting around the freezer for a snack. They'd been teaching together for almost two weeks, but beyond that, they never had the opportunity to talk because her overbearing asshole of a boyfriend. He would escort her to class, then immediately show up when it was over, not giving them even the slightest chance to communicate by themselves.

By her demeanor and the lack of Remy-scent coming from her direction, he guessed she'd just had a fight with the swamp rat.

Logan leaned against the door frame and watched her for a second, "Whatcha lookin' for, kid?"

Marie spared him a quick glance from around the freezer door before promptly burying her head back in it, "Anything chocolatey."

"Good luck finding ice cream in there. Bobby Drake eats that shit like he's on some kinda special diet..."

She cursed and slammed the door shut before leaning back against it and running her hands through her hair.

He raised an eyebrow, "Somethin' bothering you?"

Marie pursed her lips together and looked at him. She hesitated for a second before turning her eyes away from his and sighing, "Ever feel like you're in an inescapable hell of your own making?"

Logan smirked, "Where's the cajun?"

"Don't know and don't care."

Suddenly, the situation he had just stumbled upon looked really promising. He shoved his hands in his pockets, "Uh...I was just goin' to grab myself some beer...you can tag along and get your ice cream if you want."

He couldn't help but smile a little when she perked up and nodded eagerly. A break from the mansion seemed to be exactly what she needed.

Twenty minutes later, she was holding onto him as they rode Scott's bike into town. He parked in front of a row of quaint shops. There was an art store, small grocery store, antique store and boutique.

She smiled at the set up, "This is a cute spot."

Logan grunted in mild agreement as he quickly realized that their outing would be over all too quickly. He looked up and down the row of shops and thought of a way to delay their return to the mansion, where she would inevitably be swept away by the swamp rat. He scratched his head a little, "So...while we're here, did you wanna check out anything else?"

Marie nodded, "May as well walk around a bit..."

He couldn't believe the excitement he felt when she agreed to spending more time with him...but as usual, he kept his reaction in check and simply nodded and followed as she walked into the antique store.

After some browsing, shopping, walking and pleasant conversation, they started to get back on the bike to return to the mansion...but something in the art shop window caught Marie's eye. Since the "Closed" sign was up in the glass door, they skipped the store, but now...something piqued her interest.

She slowly wandered over to the shop to stare at the painting in the window as Logan followed. It was of a raven haired little girl, wading in a stream. The painting was beautiful...lively...colorful...and oddly familiar to both of them.

They stared at the painting in silence for a little while before Marie leaned forward in an attempt to check for an artist signature, but she found none. He raised a brow, "I'm not usually into art, but this is kinda nice."

Marie nodded, "Yeah...it's beautiful."

As soon as they returned to the mansion, Remy rushed down the stairs of the front porch, "Where the hell have you been?"

Logan quickly stepped between Marie and the angered cajun. He put a hand up, "Look here, gumbo...I know you may be used to talkin' to her any kinda way, but you will NOT do that in front of me, ya hear me?"

"This ain't none of your business, _FRIEND_."

"I ain't your friend...asshole."

Remy started to respond, but Marie quickly stepped from behind Logan, "Alright...enough. No bloodshed in front of the kiddies."

She smiled tightly at the group of kids who had been playing flag football just across the lawn. They'd stopped their game to see what the ruckus was about and were now staring at the trio. Remy reached to take Marie's arm, but both she and Logan let off a small growl.

They quickly looked at each other in surprise, but Remy hurriedly took her by the hand and drug her away before they had the chance to say anything to each other. She and Logan didn't take their eyes off each other until Remy pulled her through the doors of the mansion.

* * *

**Review please! Looks like we're getting close to revealing their pasts!**


	12. Chapter 12

Marie was surprised at how efficient she had become at tuning Remy's bitching out...despite her enhanced hearing.

He went on and on and how she couldn't be trusted and how Logan was just a womanizer who preyed on anything with a pussy. She just sat there, picking at her nails as he angrily paced a track in the carpet in front of her in their room.

When a moment of silence presented itself, she looked up to see if he was finally done, but instead, was confronted with his expectant face...almost as if he was waiting for her to respond.

She raised her eyebrows, "What?"

"Weren't you even fuckin' listenin' to me?"

Marie rolled her eyes and muttered, "Was tryin' not to..."

Remy threw his hands up and shook his head, "I want to make this work, Marie! The only reason I'm stayin' here is 'cause I thought this could be a new start for us! I can't do this when you're doin' the same things you were doin' in New Orelans."

She suddenly yelled, "I'm NOT! I'm lookin you in the eye and telling you I am NOT sleeping with anyone else in this damned mansion. Now would you put your big boy pants on and stop whining? I didn't know I wasn't allowed to have any fuckin' friends, but now I know. I am sooo sorry. Next time I want to go take a piss, I'll be sure to consult with you first so that you can make sure I'm not fucking someone else in the bathroom."

Marie stood, stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

She hated it when Remy got like this. His insecurities were infuriating to her...especially since he currently had no reason to be insecure. She refused to allow someone to tell her what to do and who she could hang out with...even if he was her "boyfriend".

Marie wandered out to one of the back porches of the mansion and found Logan sitting on the steps with one of the two six packs he'd purchased earlier that day.

He glanced at her before taking a deep swig of his beer, "Didn't see you at dinner...I didn't cause too much trouble, did I?"

"Nah. Remy causes enough trouble for himself." She walked over to the steps where he sat and motioned toward the empty space beside him, "This seat taken?"

Logan eyed her for a second before favoring her with a slight smile, "All yours, kid."

Marie plopped down and sighed. They sat in silence as she eyed his beer. He followed her eyes to his beer, smirked, then opened and handed her an ice cold bottle.

"You sure you're not a telepath?"

He grunted, "Heh. You aren't all that hard to read."

Marie took a sip of the beer and sighed happily, "It's nice out tonight..."

Logan looked at her gorgeous profile and nodded, "Sure is..."

She glanced back at him as she took another sip of her beer, "So...there's no Mrs. Wolverine?"

He sighed, "Nah."

"Not the settling down type?"

Logan eyed her for a second and internally debated on whether he should tell her that he WANTED to settle down...he just never seemed to be able to. Even when he hooked up with "nice" girls, he ended up cheating on them. He just hadn't found the right one yet...

He hated himself because of that.

Logan simply shook his head, "Just never happened for me. How long have you been with the swamp rat?"

Marie got a far away look in her eyes and sighed, "Fo as long as I can remember."

He raised both eyebrows, "Wow. Sounds like a match made in heaven."

"I wouldn't say that..."

Logan liked the sound of that. If she wasn't happy, he still had a chance. As they continued to talk and drink beers, Logan couldn't help but admire everything about her. As tough as he was, this chick had a hold of him...and he couldn't quite explain why.

He was taken with her the way he'd never been taken by any girl since he woke up on 3 Mile Island 15 years ago...

Their conversation was interrupted when Storm came outside, "Oh. Hello you two...I was just coming out to do water my garden...Marie, I believe Remy was looking for you."

Marie rolled her eyes at that last bit and sighed as she collected the empty beer bottles he'd piled up, "Welp...I guess I should call it a night."

Logan nodded as Storm walked between them and down the stairs toward the garden that was set several feet away from the mansion. The weather goddesses eyes turned white as she made rain shower down on the perfect circle that made up her garden.

Marie and Logan both laughed a little and shook their heads, "Who needs a water hose when you have Ororo Munroe?"

Logan nodded and took one final swig of his last beer, "I'm gonna be outta beer thanks to you."

She winked, "I'll find a way to make it up to you..."

He let out a small chuckle as he watched her bound away.

When she arrived in her room, Remy was there, fidgeting on their bed. He sighed, "You were with HIM...weren't you?"

Marie rolled her eyes, "Yes. And to answer your next question...No, I didn't fuck him."

Remy grumbled, "There's a first for everything."

"You know what? THIS, is not working anymore. I'm tired of fighting with you. There's nothing holding us together anymore...and now that we're here, it just seems to have gotten worst for whatever reason...either way, I'm sick of it."

He panicked at the thought of losing her. Remy quickly jumped up and grabbed her face, "Love is holdin' us together...don't say that Marie...I promise I'll do better. I'm sorry. I'll stop bein' a jealous bastard." She sighed and tried to look away, but Remy's grip on her face was unrelenting. She closed her eyes, but he favored her with a gentle shake, "Look at me..." Marie finally looked into his eyes, "Baby...I love you. I've loved you for fifteen years...you've been my world for all these years. Can't you see that? I can't let you go...I love you too damned much."

"Remy-"

He spoke quickly, "Marry me."

Marie sighed. This wasn't the first time he'd proposed marriage. It wasn't the second...third or fourth time either. Each time, her answer had been "no" and she assured him that wouldn't change. Before she would speak again, spoke up quickly, "I know you don't wanna do the marriage thing...how about we have a baby?"

Her eyes widened as she yanked away from him, "Have you been drinkin'?"

Remy took her hands, "Think about it, belle. It'd be perfect. Just you, me and a little one. You wanna be here so you can set down some roots...well here we are...with jobs, I'm not breakin' any laws and we gotta legit place to live. You said you wanted a family one day..."

"Yes! One. Day. Preferably a day when I knew my full name or where I come from or who my parents are. I don't have a legacy to give a kid! Get real, LeBeau! I refuse to even think of startin' a family til I know who the hell I am!"

Remy sighed. He knew Marie wouldn't fall for such a cheap, contrived trick...but it was worth a try.

At this point, he figured it was probably only a matter of time before Logan and Marie connected the dots and discovered that they were connected. At least if they had a kid, she'd be tied to him and feel, in some way, obligated to make their relationship work if all hell broke loose.

* * *

Somehow, they made it to Christmas without a blow-up regarding Marie and Logan's pasts. Remy and Marie had never bothered to celebrate the holiday, but things were getting festive around the school and Marie seemed to really be getting swept in the mood, so he knew he was going to have to buy her something.

After weeks of pondering, he settled on an expensive designer bag. Marie got him a customized deck of cards and a new cane with "Gambit" engraved on the side. Inside the cane, there was a hidden sword that would come in handy for those times when his manipulation of energy just wasn't enough.

On Christmas Eve, the staff gathered in one of the large dens for refreshments and drinks. Logan watched as Remy possessively clutched Marie's waist to him for several minutes before leaving the party. He ran across Peter, Bobby and John, who seemed to be on their way toward the kitchen for their own fun.

Logan pulled out six 20 dollar bills out of his pocket and held them up in front of the boys faces, "Wanna make some quick cash?"

John nodded eagerly, "Hell yes."

"Forty for each of you if you go in there and tempt the swamp rat with a poker game. I want you to take him to the cafeteria. Now, if you take this money and disappear..." Logan released the claws on his right hand, and immediately, his point was made.

The boys nodded and hurried on their way. Leaning on the wall in the hallway, Logan watched minutes later as Remy stepped out of the den and began heading to the cafeteria with Peter, John and Bobby, fancily shuffling and flipping cards in the air as he walked.

Logan smirked. He knew the swamp rat wouldn't be able to resist a gambling challenge.

He quickly slipped back into the den and immediately went over to Marie. He put a hand on the small of her back and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Come with me...I wanna give you your Christmas gift."

Marie gave a curious smile, then quickly followed him out of the room, "I didn't know we were exchanging gifts."

Logan smirked over his shoulder as he led her down the hall, "Well, I knew you really wanted this...so I got it for you. Besides, you keep me sane in a room full of hormonal teenagers...and for that, you are a fuckin' saint."

He took her up to his room and made her wait while he pulled her gift out of the closet.

She gasped and covered her mouth when he revealed that he had purchased the picture of the little girl they'd seen in the art shop in town, "Logan...Oh my god...I can't believe it..."

"You like it?"

Marie nodded eagerly and smiled widely. The smell of her tears surprised him and made him immediately panic, "Oh shit...you OK?"

She wiped the lone tear that fell to her cheek and nodded, "It's amazing. This is amazing. I love it...I'm-I'm speechless..."

Logan chuckled, "That would be a first."

Marie gave a eye roll, but continued smiling, "It's amazing, Logan. Thank you."

"The lady at the art shop said it originated in Canada. Her cousin owned a property there and when she died, they found this painting and a few others just like it in the cabin. Most of them were already sold, but this was one of the few left. It's by an unknown artist."

Marie laughed, "How mysterious..."

After a few more seconds of staring at the painting, she smiled and kissed his cheek. The contact was meant to be quick...innocent...chaste...but they both felt a bolt of electricity that spurred them both into a sudden, immediate flurry of action.

Before either of them could comprehend what was actually happening, Logan had tossed the painting onto the bed, grabbed Marie by the waist and slammed her up against the wall as he practically attacked her mouth with his own.

Marie fisted her hands in his hair and eagerly pressed her body against his.

Unlike the countless times she had cheated on Remy, there was no underlying regret or lack of fulfillment...this was right. She felt whole.

Having Logan pressed against her made her feel more complete than she'd felt in the entire 15 years of her known existence.

They nipped and bit at each others lips as they hungrily kissed. Marie felt the air tickle her bare stomach as Logan ripped open her shirt.

Briefly moving his lips from hers, Logan whispered as she yanked his plaid shirt off of his shoulders, "I've needed you since the moment I laid eyes on you, darlin'."

He buried his face in her neck as her hands worked feverishly to unfasten his large belt buckle, but a quick knock on the door made them immediately still their movements. They'd been so caught up in each other, they didn't hear their ill timed visitor coming.

"Logan? You in there?"

They immediately recognized the owner of the voice to be Peter.

Logan growled, "What!"

"Gambit is looking for Rogue. Is she uh...in there with you?"

Marie's eyes went wide as she looked at Logan, who sighed and took a step back away from her, "Nah. Last I saw, she was taking a walk on the grounds. Tell him to check the garden."

"Oh ok. Thanks!"

She let out a breath as they both listened to Peter's retreating footsteps. They were both still panting as a result of their unfulfilled desires when Marie tied the tattered remains of her shirt back together and ran a hand through her hair.

"Wow..."

He nodded, "I know..."

"What were we thinkin'?"

Logan smirked, "We weren't. I think that's the best part about it..."

Marie smiled, "I dunno what to make of you...

He looked into her eyes and nodded in agreement, "Ditto..."

Before he got lost in her chocolate orbs, he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, "You should go before gumbo realizes you aren't in the garden and comes lookin' for you."

She nodded and walked over to the bed before grabbing the painting, "Thanks again Logan...and uh...Merry Christmas."

"Yeah. You too, kid."

And with that, Marie retreated to her room.

She decided to temporarily hide the painting behind the dresser so she wouldn't have to bother with explaining to Remy that Logan, of all people, gave it to her. Marie undressed, being sure to shove the tattered remains of her shirt to the very bottom of their hamper.

Marie was enjoying the warm beat of the water and recounting her heated kiss with Logan when the shower curtain was suddenly ripped back. Damn...she had to stop tuning out her surroundings like that...

Remy stood there, looking her up and down. For some reason, she felt the need to cover herself, so she quickly crossed and arm around her breasts and cupped the area between her thighs.

Her flustered boyfriend took no notice as he glared at her, "Where were you?"

"I came in here to relax and shower. Where were you?"

Remy's eyes darted about a little. He knew Marie would be pissed if she found out he was gambling with some of the students, so he just cleared his throat and ran a hand through his long hair, "I was just gettin' some air. Talkin' to a couple of the boys...hurry up and get outta the shower. I wanna give you your Christmas gift."

Marie nodded before slowly pulling the shower closed again. As soon as she heard him close the bathroom door, she let out a sigh of relief.

Ten minutes later, she emerged dressed in a very conservative long sleeved tee shirt and pajama pants.

Remy was sitting on the bed with a big box with "Burberry" emblazoned on it. Marie raised her eyebrows, "What's a 'Blueberry'?"

"Bur-berry...and it's a really expensive purse, belle. Thought you might like somethin' name brand for once."

Marie laughed softly as he opened the box to reveal a plaid patterned leather bag. It was nice...but she honestly couldn't see the fuss. Remy seemed proud of his gift, so Marie didn't say anything other than thank you as she feigned interest in the purse, then set it aside and gave Remy his new deck of cards and cane.

He seemed to love them.

That night, for the first time ever, she laid down in bed beside Remy without the intention of propositioning him for sex.

Remy fell asleep without really noticing.

Marie, however, stayed awake that night, staring at the ceiling.

She may not have realized it yet, but the real reason why she wasn't interested in Remy anymore was because her body had finally gotten a taste of her true mate...and now, he was the only one she could ever truly desire.

* * *

**Review please! I'm sorry for the long absence. Haven't had much time to do any updating recently, so I had to work on this chap little by little. Also, sorry about the lemon-teaser! I figure I should keep you guys on the edge of your seats a little bit longer!**


	13. Chapter 13

Marie and Logan tried to spend some time together immediately following Christmas, but Remy made it increasingly difficult for them to do so, having noticed the growing connection they were building.

Seeing a perfect opportunity to put some distance between the two, Remy surprised Marie with a last minute jaunt to Atlantic City for New Years Eve.

Of course, as soon as Gambit got a look at the craps table, he was MIA for the remainder of their trip. When he finally did make an appearance in their room between losing 10 grand and winning twenty, he attempted to lure Marie into bed, but his affections were met with less than amorous responses.

He gave up and promptly returned to the casino floor. The satisfaction and happiness gambling brought him was almost, if not more, pleasurable than sex for him.

Upon their return to the mansion, it was time to get back to business as usual and welcome their students back from the holiday break.

She entered the class to find Logan there, reinforcing a punching bag to the ceiling. She smiled, "Hey."

"Hey yourself. You musta just gotten back."

"Last night..."

Logan gave a slight nod and continued about his business. He told himself to act normal around her...to not act the way he was feeling...but he couldn't help it. It seemed as though one minute, they were a pair of pesky jeans away from having sex and the next, she was on a romantic getaway with that swamp rat.

Had those kisses meant nothing to her? Because they'd meant _everything_to him. He'd never felt anything like it...and he hated that she still technically belonged to another.

It was torture.

"Logan...are you alright?"

He looked back at her and immediately realized he hadn't been so clever in playing off the mixed emotions he was feeling. He rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah. Didn't sleep well last night."

Marie bit her lip, prompting him to look away from the enticing gesture. Lord knows this girl was his weak spot.

"Look, Logan...about Christmas Eve-"

She was cut off by the arrival of their new class. Logan had never been more relieved to see those runts in his life.

He'd never had a class go by so quickly before. Before he knew it, he and Marie were alone again. As he straightened up, he heard Marie clear her throat. He looked up to see her standing there with her hands on her hips.

"We gonna talk about this?"

Logan groaned, "In case you haven't noticed, I ain't much of a talker, darlin'."

"While I'm sure that's true, what I felt when you kissed me...I just..can't forget about it."

He looked into her big brown eyes and felt the intense urge to take her in his arms, "Me either..."

Marie bit her lip again, "God...Logan-"

She was cut off when he rushed her and pinned her against the wall with a hungry kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair as her body writhed against his. Logan broke the kiss briefly and looked around.

He dragged her wanton body across the room and into the closet where they kept exercise mats, boxing gloves and sparring pads.

As soon as the door was closed, they began divesting themselves of their clothes. Normally, Logan wouldn't have cared about bothering to remove anything but her pants and panties, but he had an innate desire to touch as much of her skin as he possibly could.

When he finally pulled the cups of her sports bra up, he laid her down on the floor of the closet before treating her breasts to wet, soft kisses. Meanwhile, Marie reached down and yanked his sweat pants off of his hips.

Logan moaned as he felt his rock hard erection brush against the bare skin of her thigh.

She reached down and grabbed a hold of his impressive girth, making him nip at her hardened nipples. She arched up into him and clawed at his back as she opened her legs wider around his waist, silently begging for him to enter her.

"Please, Logan...I can't wait anymore..." she whispered breathlessly.

He ran his tongue over her nipple and groaned as she grabbed his hips and yanked him forward, succeeding in burying his member inside of her to the hilt.

They both had to stifle intense cries of pleasure. He stayed still, keeping himself wholly inside of her as he rested his forehead against hers and stroked her cheek.

In the darkness of the closet, he looked into her eyes and whispered her name. She gently touched his face and whispered his name back as he started slowly, but deeply thrusting into her. Every time he thrust forward, she gasped in pleasure.

She couldn't believe how good he felt inside of her. She'd been with a lot of men...but never before had she felt the immense pleasure that Logan was giving her. It was as if his body was made specifically to fit hers.

He quickly hooked an arm underneath her knee and raised her leg slightly, making his reach inside of her impossibly deep. The pleasure rendered her speechless. She could barely breathe properly, let alone vocalize how amazing she felt.

Luckily, the rutting feral needed no reassurance. Her disrupted breathing patterns and the helpless gasps she let out every time he desperately drove into her proved to be all the confirmation he needed to prove that he was doing an amazing job when it came to pleasuring her.

Marie suddenly grabbed his ass and bit down on his ear lobe as her body began to convulse in pleasure. Sensing her impending climax, he began to frantically pound into her. The rough thrusts were enough to provide a mind blowing end to their hurried, yet passionate experience.

Logan buried his face in her neck to avoid roaring as he spilled himself inside of her.

She desperately held onto him even after the waves of their orgasms had long subsided. She didn't want to let go...and neither did he.

Marie kissed his lips softly as he rolled them over so that she was now on top. She smiled when she realized that his hardened member, which was still buried deep within her, never lost it's firmness...even after one powerful orgasm.

She slowly began rolling her hips as she ran her hands over his chest and leaned down to lick at his neck. Logan whispered huskily, "Goddamn...baby..."

Marie scratched at his chest slightly when she sat back up and began rolling her hips faster against him. She didn't know what time it was, or if Remy would come looking for her...but at this point, she didn't care.

She just wanted to see how many orgasm she could have before they heard someone enter the lower levels...

After another, mutual release was found with her on top of him, Logan jumped up with her legs still wrapped around his waist, then promptly pinned her between the closet shelves and his body.

There, they came a third and final time.

By the time they came the third time, they were both panting and barely able to stand. Marie laughed softly. That was the first time a man had ever given her the multiple orgasm she required in order to feel "satisfied" after a sexual encounter.

Logan favored her with a gentle kiss on her neck, "You OK?"

"I can barely use my legs...but yeah. I'm good..."

He slowly and gingerly pulled out of her, making her whimper at the loss of intimate contact.

They dressed quickly and listened for a few seconds to ensure that the coast was clear before stepping out of the closet. Before they left the class, Logan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, "I know I said I ain't much of a talker...but we do need to talk about this later."

"What do you mean?"

"The swamp rat..."

Marie pursed her lips and nodded before heading to the locker room. The evidence of she and Logan's multiple releases were messily leaking from her and there was no way she would comfortably make it all the way up to her room without walking funny, so she decided to shower and put her soiled clothes in the towel hamper in the ladies locker room.

* * *

For several days, Marie avoided being intimate with Remy by becoming more involved in the social life around the mansion. She helped Storm organize game nights, played chaperone on outings to skating rinks and bowling alleys, and even organized a laser tag excursion for some of the older kids.

The goal was to avoid Remy, but the result was not being able to spend alone time with the man she _DID_want to be sleeping with.

Remy noticed her sudden fascination with becoming a full-time mentor/school chaperone, but seemed relieved that she wasn't spending time with Logan...and he was even more so relieved that she didn't seem to notice that he'd picked compulsive gambling back up as his main hobby.

Often, she'd return to their room after her last class of the day and find a note, telling her that he'd gone to the city to meet up with his friends.

Marie wasn't stupid. She knew full well that those "friends" were probably nothing more than gambling buddies. That was special Remy-code for "I'm going to gamble, but please don't ask me about it, because we both know I'll lie to you about it."

During one of her planned, social nights out with the kids, a special, outdoor concert they had been scheduled to attend was cancelled because members of the headlining band got sick. So, instead, they rented movies and purchased a load of candy, popcorn and other assorted, junk treats for the saddened group of kids.

With the children safely tucked in the den as Scott and Storm looked on, Marie decided to slip out and take the opportunity to see if she might be able to spend some quality time with Logan.

Upon arriving in her room, she found the same old note from Remy, advising her not to wait up, then changed into a pair of skin tight jeans, knee high boots and a very fitted, button down plaid shirt before grabbing her jacket.

When she showed up at Logan's door, he was shirtless and surprised to see her, "What-"

Marie cut him off, "You're takin' me out. Get dressed."

He crossed his muscular arms across his formidable chest, "Is that so?"

She nodded, "You wanted to talk...let's go somewhere where we can."

Twenty minutes later, she was on the back of his bike, holding onto him as they rode to a local sandwich shop. There, they purchased a couple of sandwiches, chips and drinks before heading out to a secluded, wooded area Logan had discovered during one of his many "I need to clear my head" runs.

They sat on a blanket in the grass as the sun set and ate in comfortable silence for several minutes until Marie took a swig of root beer and sighed, "So...you wanted to talk."

Logan nodded, "Yeah. I do."

"You've got the floor."

He tossed the napkin into the bag of trash and narrowed his eyes at her, "What are you gonna do about the cajun?"

She raised both eyebrows and stuttered slightly, "I-I guess I dunno. He drives me crazy, he's irresponsible and irrational...but he's been there for me for fifteen years. It would be cruel of me to just kick him to the curb."

Logan crawled forward to move atop of her, "I want you...all to myself..."

Marie shivered as she moved back to lay on the ground as he hovered above her. His possessive nature proved to be an immense turn on for her. It wasn't tinted with desperation or insecurity the way Remy's possessiveness was.

Logan was domineering...feral...commanding.

He hungrily laid kisses down her neck as her eyes rolled closed. His hands began wandering beneath her shirt and down the leg of her skin tight jeans, which he promptly unbuttoned before flipping her over.

Marie gasped as he roughly yanked her pants and underwear down to her mid thigh. She waited impatiently as he unbuttoned his own pants and yanked his throbbing member out.

She gasped as he plunged himself inside of her. He powerfully thrust into her as he kissed her ear and neck, "I don't want you to let him touch you..." Marie licked her lips in preparation to respond, but the pleasure proved to be too much. He ran his tongue over her ear lobe and whispered, "You're mine, baby...you know it...don't you? You can feel it in your body..."

"Oh God...yes...I'm yours..."

As Logan treated her to the first of many orgasms of the evening, Marie had to wonder how in the hell she would be able to go about letting Remy know that she belonged to Logan...because she damn sure couldn't belong to anyone else.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the ROGAN lemons! I know you've been upset with me for holding out on them since I made you suffer through a Romy one. Remy will be getting painted into a corner soon, so be patient! Please review folks!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

His hands seemed to be everywhere at once. For a moment, Marie could have sworn that his mutation was being able to grow an extra set of limbs instead of his healing factor. She continued to uselessly attempt to yank Logan's hands from beneath her shirt and out of her pants as he kissed her neck and pressed her against the wall.

She whispered quickly, "We gotta stop this...someone will catch us."

"I don't give a damn", he murmured huskily against her ear.

For the past six weeks, they'd played a dangerous game of sneaking around and making love in various corners of the mansion. Their tryst in the locker room bathroom almost turned into a full on peep show when some of the teen boys Scott had been training in the Danger Room came in to take a shower.

She never thought a man could move so fast while still in mid-stroke.

Now, he had her pinned up against the storage shelves in "their" closet. Marie giggled as she attempted to yank his hand out of her pants, "Come on...I promised Storm I'd help with the dance tonight..."

"Just ten minutes," She broke out his embrace and gave him a funny look, making him laugh a little, "OK...maybe twenty minutes..." Marie gave him the same look, and he quickly sighed, "Forty minutes."

She favored him with a soft kiss before leaving him in the closet with a raging hard on.

Three hours later, the sweetheart dance was in full swing. A nauseating combination of pink and red streamers and hearts adorned the cafeteria as a dj played top 40 hits that the kids danced to...often a little too closely.

Marie, Storm, Jean and Scott stood at strategic points in the room in an effort to keep the horny teenagers from attempting to dry hump on the dance floor.

She boredly leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, making sure to favor a couple of potential trouble makers with a frightening glare before continuing to scan the room.

A familiar scent and a hand on the small of her back made her smile warmly as the hand slowly, and deftly moved down to her ass. She jumped and moved away from Logan's hand, "Watch yourself, Wolverine."

Defeated, Logan crossed his arms and leaned on the wall next to her. She gave him a serious look, "We gotta work on bein' discreet."

He scanned the room, "What if I told you I don't care about bein' discreet?"

"Then I'd tell you that it's important to_ me_ that we are discreet...I told you I'm gonna figure out how to tell him."

"When? It's been 6 weeks...I'm not even sure I can trust that you haven't fucked him."

She suddenly turned to face him and look directly into his eyes, "Don't dare question my faithfulness, Logan...you're the only man that I've never lied to and I plan on keepin' it that way."

He looked into her eyes and nodded before they both turned their eyes back to the dance floor.

After a few minutes of watching the kids gyrate and grind, Marie suddenly felt Remy grab her waist. She jumped slightly and put a hand on her chest in surprise as Logan suppressed a growl upon seeing the contact.

She stealthily moved from beneath his touch and cleared her throat, "Hey...I thought you were going out tonight."

"I had a change of plans...thought I'd stay home and spend some time with you."

She awkwardly tucked some of her hair behind her ear, "Um...well, I promised Storm I'd chaperone the dance and help with clean up after, so tonight's not the best time...you should just go on out anyways. I'm not gonna be much company til this is all over."

Remy briefly shifted his gaze to Logan before looking back at her, "No, it's fine. I'll hang out here too. I'm sure Logan won't mind."

Marie briefly felt sick to her stomach, but her healing factor soon corrected the feeling of nausea that threatened to overtake her.

She took Remy by the elbow and led him away from Logan, who she could tell was growing more and more aggravated by the second. She connected eyes with Jean, then raised her eyebrows in an effort to give her silent permission to read her mind.

A second later, she felt the telepath in her head.

Jean spoke telepathically to her, _"Everything OK?"_

_"I have to step out for a second. Will you guys be OK?"_

Jean gave a nod, "Sure. We've got it covered."

Marie thanked her before the telepath severed her connection. She led Remy out of the cafeteria, "What's this all about, belle?"

"We need to talk."

He nodded, "I gathered that."

She let out a breath, "I think we need to talk about our relationship."

Panic suddenly welled within him, "What do ya mean?"

Marie bit her bottom lip, "Since we've been here, we haven't been good together...but I'm OK with that. I love it here. I don't see myself wantin' to leave anytime soon...even if you weren't here...I think that says a lot about our relationship right now, don't you?"

Before Remy could respond, Scott suddenly appeared, "Hey...the professor just contacted me...asked that all X Men meet in his office."

She pointed back toward the cafeteria, which Storm and Jean were coming out of, "What about the dance?"

"The older kids will have to be in charge", answered Jean warily as she led the way to the professor's office.

"God help us all..." sighed Logan.

When they were all sitting in front of Charles, he clasped his hands together, "I've picked up on word that there's going to be an attack on the Mutant Relations building in Langley. I'm unsure as to how many henchmen Magneto will be using in the attack, so it's important that we're well prepared for anything." He turned to Remy, Logan and Rogue, "Being that this is your first mission, I expect you to keep your eyes open and be sure to follow orders."

The team filed out. Within minutes, they were in the lower level locker rooms, getting dressed in their X Men uniforms. Marie raised her brows at Storm's impressive cape, "Heeey...why don't I have a snazzy cape?"

Storm laughed, "Because you can't fly."

Marie pouted as Jean let out a soft chuckle, "No worries Rogue. The cape would only hide how awesome your ass looks in the leather."

Rogue turned around a little in an attempt to eye her own butt, "Really?"

Storm nodded, "Very impressive."

"Ahem..."

The sound of a man clearing his throat interrupted them. Jean crossed her arms, "Honey...what did I tell you about spying on women in the locker room?"

Scott smirked, "I wouldn't have to come in here if you guys didn't take so long to get ready."

"We're ready."

On the Black Bird jet, Remy reached over and grasped her hand. Scott noticed and raised a brow, "You nervous, Rogue?"

Marie shook her head, "Probably not as nervous as you...since I heal from fatal wounds and you don't."

Logan couldn't help but let out a chuckle as Scott grumbled and turned his eyes back to the sky.

When they got to the facility...all was quiet. They entered using a service entrance in the basement and found that the guard posts they were expecting had been abandoned and none of the lights in the facility were on, save for the emergency lights.

Scott stopped the team and sighed, "Alright. Storm and I are going to look for a fuse box or something to see if we can get the power on. Jean, stay here and use your telepathy to see if you can find anyone else in the building. Remy, you stay with Jean. Logan, Marie...since the elevators aren't working, we'll need you to find a stairwell and investigate whatever areas you can safely access. Proceed with extreme caution."

Remy looked on helplessly as he watched Marie and Logan disappear out of the room without so much as a hesitant, backward glance toward him.

As they moved into the stairwell, they were both able to pick up on the faint smell of blood...and something else. Marie stopped him, "You gettin' that?"

His nostrils flared as he looked up the stairwell, "Smells like trouble...stay close."

They reached the main floor of the building and slowly entered the door. The coppery stench of blood hit them like a ton of bricks.

Through the dim emergency lights, they were able to make out the figures of two men and a woman in lab coats. They lay in a dark pool of their own blood directly in front of the elevator and stairwell doors. One of the man's palms was still pressed against the wall just below the elevator button as the rest of his body lay in a lifeless, sprawled heap.

They slowly walked in to examine the bodies, but before they could, Logan was grabbed by some unseen force and thrown against a nearby wall.

Rogue gasped and rushed to where Logan was suspended against the wall. He was turning red as he attempted to free himself from the invisible hold that was against him, but it was no use.

When he realized he was stuck he yelled, "Get outta here!"

Marie was so distracted with Logan's distress that she didn't bother to hear the large, hairy beast roar as he tackled her to the ground and stabbed her in the shoulder with his claws.

Logan cried out her name as she let out a brief scream of pain then grasped the beast's wrist and laid a strong kick to his crotch. When he recoiled from the kick to his nuts, she kicked him in the stomach, successfully knocking him off of her.

She stood and hissed in pain as the wound from the behemoth's claws healed on her shoulder.

He cocked his head to the side and gave her a smirk when he realized that she healed. The beast licked his lips and crouched in preparation to attack again. He rushed her, but before he was able to tackle her, she laid a round house kick to his face, which she promptly followed with a upper cut, and two more powerful punches.

When she moved to kick again, the beastly feral grabbed her by the leg, smirked, then threw her up against the wall, knocking the wind out of her. He picked her up by the neck and slammed her up against the wall again before leaning close to her face and snarling, "Never met a female who could heal...bet you could handle everything I wanna do to you."

Marie quickly yanked off her glove before grabbing his wrist with her bare hand and smirking, "That and more..."

The feral's expression quickly turned from one of cockiness to horror as he felt the excruciating pain of her mutation begin to work its dark magic on his skin.

Suddenly, Marie heard Logan yell her name as he was dropped to the floor. She opened her eyes just in time to see a metal rod flying toward her head.

She was knocked down and dazed for a few seconds before slowly regaining her bearings and standing up as the nasty gash on her head healed itself.

When the fog in her mind cleared, she was able to see that the remainder of the team had joined them, and a couple more "bad guys" had made their appearance. One of which, was a blue woman with reptilian like skin that was engaged in a fight with Logan.

Remy seemed occupied with a green-skinned, frog like creatures, and Scott was disposing of a couple of other, random minions with his optic blasts.

Marie glanced over to see Magneto picking up another metal rod without even touching it, then hurl it at Storm, who was also engaged in a fight.

Marie hollered in warning just before she was attacked by one of Magneto's henchmen, which caught Jean's attention. She was, luckily, able to use her powers to stop the rod from skewering Storm. She then used her powers to toss Magneto backwards against a wall. He hit his head so hard, he was knocked unconscious.

The blue woman saw this and knocked Logan off of her before rushing to the injured older man. The large beast, who was just now regaining consciousness, slowly stood on his shaky feet as she screamed, "Sabertooth!"

This got a response from the feral beast, who quickly rushed over and tossed Magneto over his shoulder before they ran out of the building, leaving their fighting comrades behind.

It took some time, but the team had disposed of and subdued all of their attackers. Now...it was time for questioning.

Logan cracked his neck and looked at Scott, "So, do we start crackin' skulls or what?"

The team leader shook his head, "Jean can get as much information as she needs. We'll just wait, then call the authorities."

He rolled his eyes at the overly diplomatic approach since he was more apt to just start slicing off body parts. When he turned his eyes back to Marie, he noticed Remy attending to her and immediately growled.

This action definitely didn't go unnoticed by the white haired goddess.

When they returned to the mansion, Marie immediately went to the professor to see if he could help her contain the monster she'd absorbed on their mission. It took a few hours, but eventually, he helped compartmentalize the beast and quiet his angry ranting.

Before she left his office, he cleared his throat, "It is quite apparent that you do not have your memories, Rogue. Although I can't simply unlock the secrets of your past, I could provide some clues...I'm helping another with similar issues right now."

Professor Xavier stopped short of mentioning Logan by name since he didn't feel comfortable breaking such confidentiality.

She nodded, "Thanks...that'd be good...but-"

"But, what, my dear?"

Marie pursed her lips, "I'm afraid about what I'd find..."

He gave a brief nod, "That, I understand, but I can guarantee you that, good or bad, whatever you find will bring you peace."

When she left the office and was walking down the hall to return to her room, she decided to take a quick detour to Logan's room just to see if he might have time to help her work out some of the post-mission stress.

When she walked into his pitch black room, she quickly flicked on the lights. Instead of finding Logan in his bed, she found Jean laying there in nothing but a black negligee.

"Oh g-g-god", stammered Marie.

The two women stared at each other wide eyed for several seconds until Logan suddenly emerged from the bathroom with wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist.

When he saw he two women in his room, he looked confused, bewildered and somewhat distraught.

Before another word could be uttered, Marie rushed from the room. By the time she made her way to her own room, Remy was half asleep in their bed. He glanced up at her, "Hey...where ya been?"

"With the professor. He thinks he might be able to help me with my past."

That broke Remy out of his half-asleep haze, "Really? Uh...ya sure you wanna open that door, belle?"

Marie nodded, "I need to know. My whole life has been on hold for the past 15 years because I don't know who I am. Maybe if I find out who I really am, I can start living."

"But what if you find out somethin' you don't wanna know?"

She began pulling off her clothes as she walked into the bathroom, "My minds made up. I'm doin' this...whether you wanna support me or not."

Remy sighed as he heard the shower start up. He murmured and ran a hand through his hair, "What if you find out somethin' I don't want you to know..."

When Marie was safely under the spray of the shower, she covered her face and did something she thought she'd never do...she cried...over a man.

* * *

**Uh oh! Was this a misunderstanding? Or was Logan really getting some Jean-action on the side? Sorry for the long periods between updates! Life is crazy! Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

Remy tried everything he could to get Marie to forget about her appointment with Professor Xavier.

From offering to whisk her off on an impromptu vacation to the Florida Keys to attempting to get her to go to the mall on a shopping spree. As with everything concerning him recently, she seemed completely disinterested.

He wasn't stupid. He knew she and Logan had been fooling around.

How far they had gotten and how deeply involved they were still remained to be seen. Since they had yet to connect the dots concerning their unknown pasts, he didn't assume too far...but then again, communication wasn't a strong trait of the feral personality.

His most recent plan to keep Marie from falling completely into Logan's arms and out of his life seemed brilliant...but he wasn't sure as to how well it worked...yet.

_******The night before, just after returning to the mansion***********_  
_When Marie was in with the professor, working on boxing up Sabertooth after their mission, Remy and the rest of the team were taking off their uniforms, showing in the locker rooms, and slowly returning to their perspective rooms._

_Of course, Logan made himself scarce to go suck down a beer and smoke a cigar. Scott, being the ever dutiful leader and teacher, immediately retired after his shower to he and Jean's room, and Storm sought solace in her garden to relieve the tension fighting had caused. _

_Remy thanked his lucky stars when he ended up alone walking to the elevator with Jean._

_He cleared his throat, "Good job today."_

_She removed her gloves and sighed, "Thanks, you too. Not bad for a first timer."_

_Remy smirked, "Guess you'll be goin' to bed soon, huh?"_

_Jean shrugged, "Not really. After a night like this, there's always a lot running through my mind...can't sleep."_

_"What about Scott?"_

_She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, "He sleeps like a ton of bricks hit him after missions. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already asleep."_

_He slowly rocked on his heels a bit and eyed her with a sly smile, "I'm sure the Wolverine is stalkin' the halls...all growly and full of testosterone...lookin' for a primed up female."_

_Jean cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms as they stepped onto the elevator, "What are you trying to-"_

_"Remy knows a few things, belle...the game of cards and the game of love...and what I see when the Wolverine looks at you is sheer desire...and I see it in your eyes when you look at him. Bein' a telepath, I woulda thought you'd figured that out by now."_

_The redhead stared wide eyed at Remy as he smirked and walked away. With any luck, Marie would attempt to use some of her post-mission time hooking up with the Wolverine...and then, she would find a nice little surprise all red headed and wrapped up in his room. _

_As Remy walked away, he made sure to project well-placed thoughts that supported his Logan-Jean hook up theory._  
_********************_

Remy sat in the kitchen, eating a muffin as Marie stood over the stove, scrambling some eggs. After piling the food onto her plate and sitting down next to Remy, Storm entered the kitchen and greeted everyone with a pleasant smile.

Marie was barely halfway through her breakfast when Jean walked in and immediately tensed at the sight of Marie.

In response, Marie quickly averted her gaze, dropped her fork to the plate and quickly murmured an excuse about having to "go do something" before quickly rushing out of the kitchen.

Storm sat there, looking confused as Jean nervously fidgeted and gave the two remaining occupants a nervous smile, "What's for breakfast?"

Remy took a gulp of orange juice and smirked. Guess his plan_ did_ work.

* * *

Marie entered the garage to find Scott fixing up a classic Mustang. He glanced up, "Hey."

She shoved her hands in her pockets as she eyed the garage full of cars, "Hey. How's it goin'?"

Marie half listened as Scott said something about replacing a cracked radiator, then nodded, "Great...um, I was wondering if I could borrow one of the cars."

He nodded and motioned toward a BMW sedan, "Sure. There's the go-to car for most of the staff."

Her mouth dropped open a little, "I've been bummin' rides and walkin' everywhere for nearly three months and come to find out, there's a 'go-to' car for the staff?"

"Let's just say, the trust had to be built. I wanted to make sure your boyfriend didn't lose it in a card game."

Marie let out a chuckle, "Yeah...that's understandable...but you're not afraid if I take it?"

Scott wiped his hands on a cloth and shrugged, "Welp, I've watched you two together and...it's pretty obvious you operate on completely different wavelengths."

She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean by that?"

He shrugged a little and plopped down on a stool as he took a swig from his water bottle, "Some couples have a rhythm. They look like they belong together...but you and Remy...you don't look at all like you should be together. There's no real pull there..."

Marie nodded and thought about seeing Jean in Logan's room the night before. She ran a hand through her hair and glanced back toward the BMW, "Where are the keys?"

"In the console. Try not to have it out all day."

She smiled and gave him a mock salute before turning around and going to the car.

Thirty minutes later, Marie was back in the quaint little row of shops she and Logan had visited some time ago. She wandered for a little bit, but eventually found herself at the art shop where Logan purchased her beloved painting.

She entered and looked around at the various pieces for several minutes before a woman with long gray hair and an abundance of beaded jewelry approached, "May I help you?"

Marie nodded, "A friend of mine came in here back in December and bought a painting for me...it was of a little girl? My friend is a guy...big, burly, has muttonchops and never gives more than a one word answer to questions."

The woman nodded quickly, "Logan! Yes. Quiet guy...but a very strong aura."

She laughed softly, "Right. That's him. He gave me the painting, and I love it...I was just wondering if you had anymore or might be able to give me any information about where I could find more."

"Well, my cousin owned this gorgeous little cabin in the Canadian wilderness. Wonderful spot...tucked away in the mountains and completely surrounded by nature. When she died, she was renting it out to some people, but we don't know who. We found their clothes, those paintings, and a refrigerator full of Molson's beer. The painting you now own was the last one I had available. I sold the rest."

Marie blinked rapidly, "I'm sorry...did you say Molson's?"

The woman nodded, "It's a Canadian beer."

"Oh, I know. I just...um...nothing." There was a slightly awkward pause before Marie continued, "So the people who were renting it never came back?"

The woman shook her head, "No. I even stuck around for a couple of weeks to see if they would show up...but they didn't, so I cleared out the place and rented it out again. I rented it out for 14 years, but it's vacant now and I rarely have the time to make my way up there. I can rent it out to you if you ever feel the need to get away. It's a beautiful little spot."

Marie cocked her head to the side, "I think I'll take you up on that offer."

* * *

When Marie returned to the mansion, she had the keys to the cabin in her pocket. Regardless of what Logan was doing with the red headed bitch, she knew that her relationship with Remy had run its course.

Thanks to the X Men and the professor, she was no longer afraid of being alone, because, even if she didn't have Remy, she still had somewhere she belonged.

As soon as she entered the mansion, the professor sent her a telepathic message, asking her if she wanted to start their session early since his prior engagement fell through.

Marie met him in the med bay. He smiled, "You seem a bit antsy, my dear...you don't plan on leaving us any time soon, do you?"

"Not permanently...I was hoping I could talk to you about that."

Charles raised his eyebrows, "Certainly..."

She plopped down in a chair across from him and sighed, "Remy and I...our relationship...it isn't working...and I've had some distractions recently that have...complicated things. I just need a week or so to clear my head."

"Well...I'm sure Logan could handle your class by himself. You're sure you need a full week?"

Marie shrugged, "I was with Remy for 15 years. I guess I need some time away to just get to know myself a little without him. He's been a constant fixture in the only known life I had and...I just need a little clarity."

The professor motioned toward the table so that they could get ready to start their session, "Well...I understand. I do hope you'll let me know where you plan on going so that I can get in touch with you in case of emergency."

"There's a cabin in the Canadian wilderness I'm renting out from a woman who owns an art shop a few miles from here. It's supposed to be quiet...the perfect place to find clarity."

Once she was situated on the table, he placed his hands against her temple, "Let's just see if I can help provide some of that clarity today, shall we?"

There was a long period of complete silence and stillness before a small flash was seen in her minds eye. She saw a house with a porch, and a beautiful, dark haired woman who smiled down at her. The woman stomped a high heeled foot on the porch and screeched in a high pitched, southern drawl, "Anna Marie D'Ancanto! I better not see not one grass stain on that dress 'fore church young lady!"

The next hazy memory was accessed, and she immediately saw herself running away from a mob of teenaged boys. The professor quickly moved on from that memory, knowing exactly how it would end when one of the boys yelled "mutie bitch" at her, then picked up a rock. He then accessed a memory of her training in a military site, performing exercises, learning fighting moves and handling weapons.

He immediately felt the familiarity of the surroundings that appeared in her memory and realized that the place Marie was in was the same place he had seen when helping access Logan's past memories.

There was a brief flash of a log cabin with Native American tapestries hung over the fireplace and a large, manly hand, handing her a Molson's beer.

Charles slowly moved forward in her memory bank, but, before he knew it, there was nothing left for him to access.

Marie opened her eyes, "That's it?"

He nodded, "It's definitely something...your full name is Anna Marie D'Ancanto...and it's clear that, where ever you were when your mutation surfaced, you were assaulted. Some time later, for whatever reason, you underwent military level training...but I can't see when you absorbed your adopted powers or who you absorbed them from."

She sighed, "That is more than I've ever known..."

The professor regarded her sympathetically. He had hoped he would be able to help her more than Logan. As Logan's name popped into his head, he remembered the familiar military compound that he had seen in both of their memories. Logan was a notoriously private man, and he knew betraying his trust could come with the consequence of having the feral pack up and leave, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"It's a promising step in the right direction, Rogue. Perhaps when you've had the opportunity to clear your head a bit more, we'll try again."

Marie nodded, "That's exactly why I need to get away."

She turned to leave, but stopped and quickly turned around, "Um...would you mind keeping my little trip between the two of us?"

He smiled wisely, "Certainly dear...and you have my permission to take the Range Rover. You're going to need it to conquer the wilderness. I'll let Scott know that I gave you permission to take it after you've safely hit the road."

"Thanks professor."

On her way back to her room to pack, she encountered Logan coming down the hall. She immediately turned on her heel to head in the opposite direction, but he jogged up toward her.

Her pace remained brisk, despite the fact that he was now practically running after her, "I think we should talk."

"Funny. I don't think we should."

He grabbed her arm, preparing to haul her into the nearest vacant room, but a warning growl and the snatch of her arm from his grip made him hesitate, "Back off, Wolverine."

Logan looked up and down the hall before leaning in and lowering his voice, "You didn't see what you thought you saw, kid."

Marie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "And by 'what I saw', do you mean Jean...half naked...in your bed?" As the sentence left her mouth, she realized how much of a jealous bitch she must've sounded like. After all, this was _her_ fault. Despite the fact that Logan shouldn't be boinking a "taken" woman, he had every right to boink who he wanted to. SHE had been the one who had held out on breaking up with Remy. It was her fault that she had found Jean in his room...

She sighed, "Look. You don't have to explain anything else, Logan."

A look of confusion flashed across his face, "I don't?"

Marie shook her head, "No, you don't. Please don't bother."

"Look, kid...you need to know that I didn't-"

Remy's sudden entrance into the hallway made Logan take a resigned step back away from Marie.

The cajun approached and cleared his throat, "Uh...belle...can I talk to ya a bit?"

She nodded without sparing Logan a second glance, "Sure."

When they were alone in their room, Remy rubbed his hands together nervously, "So...you had your appointment with the professor?"

Marie nodded as she sat on the bed, "Yep."

"Who did he see?" he suddenly blurted without thinking.

She fixed him with a confused stare, "What do you mean, 'who'?"

"What...I meant what..." he said as he looked away.

Marie stood and narrowed her eyes at him. She knew Remy too well. She knew when he was horny...when he gambled...when he was angry...and she especially knew when he lied. Right now, he was definitely lying.

"No...you meant 'who', LeBeau. Why are you so concerned with 'who' instead of 'what?'"

Again, he averted his eyes by casually running a hand through his hair and walking over to the dresser. He would have been able to fool a lesser woman with these deflecting tricks, but Marie knew him too well, "I figure if he saw someone you could identify, you'd be able to find out where they were and get some info about your past."

She decided to let him off the hook since that seemed as reasonable an explanation as any, but she would continue to wonder why, just yesterday, he seemed against the idea of her exploring her past, and now, he was questioning her about "who" the professor had seem in her past.

* * *

**Review please!**


	16. Chapter 16

Logan had just returned from a beer run using Scott's bike when he decided to help himself to a cold one and a cigar.

As he sat on the front steps in front of the parked bike, Scott exited the mansion, "I really would appreciate it if you asked permission before you take my bike."

Logan barely turned around as he searched his pocket for a light, "What's the point? You woulda said no anyways."

"Exactly. At least clean her up next time."

Scott turned around and re-entered the mansion just as Logan lit his cigar and took a long drag. He sat out there, thinking for much longer than he intended. He thought about how the hell Jean had ended up in his room...and more importantly, how he could make things right with Marie.

He only hoped that she wouldn't go crawling back to the cajun.

It was probably well past midnight by the time he polished off his 6-pack and was preparing to call it a night when he heard an engine start up in the garage.

He watched as the mansion's black Range Rover rolled onto the driveway and to the gate.

Curious as to who would be leaving so late at night, he took a closer look at the driver of the vehicle and recognized the unmistakable profile of Marie.

Watching as she turned right out of the mansion gates, Logan quickly jumped on the bike and took off after her.

At first, he figured she was probably going for a quick drive, or maybe even a liquor run, but when she didn't stop and got on the highway, Logan grew concerned. He kept a safe distance behind her, being sure to never get close enough to raise any suspicion.

Before he knew it, dawn had broke and his eyes were heavy. They'd been driving for hours.

Luckily, Marie must've decided she'd needed a break too and pulled off at an exit with a rest stop and diner.

Logan pulled behind an 18 wheeler and watched as she filled the gas tank of the Range Rover, then walk over to the diner. He knew she would be a second, so he pulled over to the gas station across the street, used the bathroom, filled up the bike and got a couple of snacks and coffee. By the time he sat back on the bike, he was able to see Marie climb back into the truck with a couple of bags of food and take off.

Again, he followed.

They were somewhere in Indiana and darkness had fallen by the time she pulled off at an exit off the highway. By that time, Logan was starving and exhausted beyond comprehension.

He watched her go through a drive through at McDonald's, then drive to the Holiday Inn Express that was across the street.

After grabbing his own, quick bag of greasy fast food, Logan walked into the lobby about thirty minutes after she did and slid a hundred to the young man behind the desk, "Get me a room directly underneath the girl who just checked in."

The kid hesitated briefly, but one look at the c-note prompted him into action. As he clicked away at the keyboard, Logan grumbled, "Let's pretend I don't need to give you my name to check in either..."

The kid raised his eyebrows and nodded before handing him a key card, "Alright Mr. Smith, that'll be 159 for the night. I have you set up in room 225. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Logan slid two more hundred dollar bills across the counter, took the key card and smirked, "Keep the change, kid."

When he got to the room, he used his enhanced hearing to listen to Marie's movements. He heard her putter around, use the bathroom, then shower and climb into bed.

He wanted so desperately to march up there, kick down the door and take her right then and there, but he couldn't. He needed to see where she was going first...then he would find out why she left and, more importantly, how long she planned on being gone for.

He had a bad feeling that her little impromptu getaway had a lot to do with him and the "situation" she walked in on.

Like it or not, he was going with her, and he was going to make her listen to what he had to say...then he was going to spend the duration of her trip fucking her brains out...however long that was.

Logan's hand slowly wandered down to the erection that had sprung to life as he imagined Marie's delicious body, writhing beneath his.

By the time they made it to her mystery destination, he was not only going to make her forget about Remy...but he was going to make her forget about the whole damn world.

He slept a little that night, but was sure to make sure to keep an ear out for any movement above him. When she did wake up, he waited several minutes after hearing her leave her room, then promptly took his leave, making sure to drop his key off at the front desk on his way out.

Again, he was following her, being sure to keep several vehicles between them so that she would, hopefully, never suspect him.

For the remainder of the day, she stopped once for food, gas and a restroom break, then promptly hit the road again.

When they entered North Dakota, the highway turned into a two-lane road and Logan found it increasingly difficult to tail her without appearing obvious.

The last vehicle he'd been keeping between them turned off and he was sure she might recognize him as a tiny speck in the rearview mirror.

It was almost dusk when she suddenly pulled the Range Rover to the side of the road near a lush forest. He hung back and slowed down, watching as her far away figure stepped out of the drivers side, then made her way into the forest.

Logan assumed she had to pee, so he pulled over and relieved himself in a nearby group of trees as well. As he leaned on his bike, eating some beef jerky and drinking a bottle of water he'd acquired at "their" last stop, he noticed it had been longer than 10 minutes since she disappeared inside the forest line.

Maybe she had an upset stomach...maybe she was hurt...maybe she'd been kidnapped?

He sat there, staring at the Range Rover as he allowed his imagination to run wild. When she didn't reappear another ten minutes later, he started the bike and drove up to her vehicle. He looked into the trees and didn't see her...so he got off the bike and slowly began walking into the forest. As he scanned the area, he attempted to locate her scent, which proved to be more difficult than he anticipated in a forest full of various vegetation and animal life.

Suddenly a shot rang out and, before he had the chance to move, he was struck in the shoulder by a bullet.

The force of the impact knocked him backwards a bit, but he was still standing when his attacker walked toward him with the gun still raised.

He growled as the bullet dislodged itself from his skin and fell to the forest floor while his skin stitched itself back together.

Marie stood in front of him, holding the gun to his face as he looked at his shoulder, "What the fuck? Marie! You shot me!"

"You don't seem like the type of guy who would respond to a simple slap, so I decided to be a little more zealous in my approach."

"By shooting me?"

"Oh please! It was a flesh wound that barely had the chance to bleed. Stop being such a baby."

He watched her as she put the safety back on and stuffed the gun into her back pocket. Logan, meanwhile, was still shocked that she had shot him and was completely unapologetic about it. Yeah, he wasn't hurt, but still...was that necessary?

"Why the fuck did you shoot me?"

"Why the fuck are you following me? Stalker."

He crossed his arms, "I'm not a stalker."

"...says the man who has been following me across 6 states over the past 2 days."

Logan admitted defeat and sighed, "OK...fine...but what do you expect? You just leave in the middle of the night without saying anything to anyone...I figured it had something to do with me."

The deep sting of hurt and jealousy she initially felt when she found Jean in his bed resurfaced. Before she could stop herself, a couple of tears sprang to her eyes.

Marie knew he would smell them, she only hoped he would be decent enough not to openly acknowledge it.

After she quickly brushed away those tears and recomposed herself, she crossed her arms and glared, "So...you're fucking Jean? You talked all this shit about me belongin' to you and you not wantin' me to fuck Remy, and guess what? I DIDN'T! Then, the first chance you get, you stick your dick into Cruella Deville!"

"When I got out of the shower, Jean was there, and you were there. I wasn't expecting EITHER one of you. I'm not interested in Jean, darlin'. You're the only one I want. You're the only one I've ever wanted."

Marie blinked rapidly and shook her head, "I saw her...and you-"

"You saw her laying on the bed, waiting for me. I was in the shower when she snuck into my room."

She ran a hand through her hair and stared at him. His eyes were genuine as they stared at her, piercing into her soul. Marie rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, pressing close for an intimate, yet comforting hug.

He closed his eyes and smoothed his hand over the back of her silky hair as he breathed in her scent. Logan smiled, "Baby...you're it."

As they pulled apart, she leaned forward and hungrily kissed him, driving her hands into his hair as he grasped her waist and backed her up against the nearest tree.

When his lips moved away from hers to suckle on her neck, she whispered breathlessly, "Uh...do you think we should be doin' this here?"

"No."

Despite his answer, he continued licking and kissing her neck as he fumbled with the draw string on her sweat pants. Marie gave up her protesting and reached down to unbutton his pants and push his jeans down just enough to release his member.

Logan yanked one of her legs out of her sweatpants, then ripped her panties off. She smirked as he grabbed her leg, raising it around his waist as he thrust forward, quickly burying himself inside of her.

Marie threw her head back and gasped, "Oh god!"

He roughly and repeatedly drove into her, moving her up the tree as the rough bark scraped against her back through her thin, long sleeved tee shirt.

Logan growled and pushed up her shirt before yanking down her bra cup to allow one of her pillowy breasts to fall out of its restraints. Leaning down, he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked hungrily.

Marie's orgasm hit so suddenly, it felt as if the air had been stolen directly out of her body. All she could do was gasp.

Logan, who was still moving in and out of her, slowed his pace and kissed her quivering lips, "Gimme another baby...I wanna hear you this time..."

He pulled out of her, let her down from her position against the tree, then spun her around and yanked her hips backwards so that she was slightly bent over.

She dug her fingers into the tree as he forcefully thrust himself back inside of her and began pounding away at her with renewed vigor. Marie helplessly held onto the tree as he drove into her, making her body jerk and jump violently.

Logan reached up and gathered her hair in his hands, "Come on baby...it's just us out here...don't be shy."

"Oh god...Logan. Logan...Logan...fuck me!"

He let go of her hair and reached around to grasp her breast and pull her back against him, "Where do you want my cum, baby?"

She felt like she was out of her mind with desire at this point. Her thought process, train of thought and overall ability to speak seemed stalled, but she still managed to whisper shakily, "Inside of me..."

He growled as he reached around and suddenly began to finger her clit, "Where?"

As his finger tips played with her bundle of nerves, she screamed out louder than she thought possible, "Cum inside..."

When her body began to convulse around his member, he threw his head back and roared as he spilled himself deep within her.

They stood there on shaky legs for several moments before they finally had the opportunity to disengage from each other and readjust their clothing.

He brushed a bit of bark out of her hair and smiled, "So where are you goin'?"

Marie shrugged, "You remember that hippy lady from the art shop?" After he nodded, she continued as they walked back to the Range Rover, "Well, she has this cabin somewhere outside of Peace River, Alberta. I'm goin' there."

"WE'RE goin' there", he corrected.

She crossed her arms and raised a brow, "What makes you think you're invited?"

"I invited myself. Now come on. Help me hitch the bike onto this rig."

Within an hour, they were on the road again, this time with Logan driving. Marie fell asleep in the front seat as he followed the GPS instructions to Peace River. He drove straight through the night, but ended up having to wake Marie up for further instruction when they did reach the rustic, remote town.

Marie fished a piece of paper out of her bag and read, "Ok...it says, take the only right you can in town, then follow that up the mountain. It's the only cabin you'll find before you reach the end of the road.

Logan glanced over at a general store, "We should make a stop. The clothes on my back are the only ones I got."

After stocking up on groceries as well as some clothes and toiletries for Logan, they got back in the car and headed toward the cabin.

He smiled as he stroked her thigh, "So, how much did the hippy chick charge you for this little get away?"

"Six hundred for two weeks."

"Wow...wonder it it's worth the money."

She stretched out in her seat and yawned, "Better be. That drive was ridiculously long."

"How'd you manage to stash that kinda money away while livin' with the cajun?"

Marie rolled her eyes at the mention of Remy, "I know all of Remy's tricks and I know full well how to look out for myself when he's trying to gamble away the last of our money."

"I'm kinda surprised the swamp rat isn't accompanying you on this trip."

She smirked, "Don't play dumb...it's obvious he and I were on our last leg before you and I...ya know-"

"Started fucking."

"I wasn't gonna put it that eloquently, but yeah. Fucking." He grinned as she continued, "Well...you weren't the only one I was sneakin' away from...he has no idea I left either."

A few minutes later, Marie and Logan pulled up the hill to the log cabin. They rolled to a stop and sat in silence as they both stared at the eerily familiar place.

After what felt like an eternity, Marie cleared her throat and got out of the car as Logan helped her gather their belongings.

They stepped inside to find a leather couch sitting in front of a large stone fireplace that a beautiful Native American tapestry hung over. To the left of the living room, there was an open kitchen with a table and two chairs.

Not a word was spoken as they put away groceries and continued curiously looking around the place.

Marie walked into the bedroom by herself and slowly set her bags down. She grabbed the pair of clean sheets out of the linen closet she, oddly, had no trouble finding and put them on the bed.

Logan entered the room just as she finished smoothing the quilt over the top of the bed. He leaned against he door frame and stared at her, unable to shake the feeling of deja vu that seemed to overwhelm him everywhere he looked in that place.

He cleared his throat, "This place is...uh...great."

She nodded as she continued looking around the room, "It's very beautiful."

After making love, Marie slipped into one of Logan's freshly purchased plaid shirts while he showered. She opened the door and stepped out to stare over the mountainside. The fact that she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been there before couldn't simply be dismissed.

She'd never felt that way about anywhere before.

"What are you doin' out here?"

Marie turned around to smile at Logan, who had emerged from the cabin to join her and was now dressed in a pair of pajama pants.

She smiled and turned back to admire the view of the mountains as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her before kissing the back of her head, "I like it here."

"Yeah...me too."

That night, as they laid in bed naked, she rolled onto her side to say something, but then plopped back down onto her back. She repeated that motion several times before Logan groaned, sat up and turned on the lamp, "Something's on your mind. Spill it."

Marie sat up, "This place...it feels familiar. It feels like I've been here."

"Maybe it's just that kinda place..."

"What? You feel the same way?"

Logan shrugged, "It's probably nothing."

"No, Logan...I look at this place and I feel like I know every nook and cranny...I feel like I'm home here more so than anywhere else I've ever been."

He looked at her and nodded, "OK. So, even if we both feel this way...how do you explain it?"

"I dunno..."

* * *

The next morning, Logan woke up to the smell of sizzling bacon. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he shuffled into the kitchen and favored Marie, who was wearing nothing but one of his wife beaters, with a kiss to her cheek.

She smiled and handed him a mug of steaming black coffee, "Sleep well?"

"Woke up even better", he said as he smirked at the sight of her body in the scantily clad ensemble.

Marie rolled her eyes and turned back to the frying pan as Logan came up behind her and kissed her neck. She squirmed and shoved him away with her hips, "Get plates. Breakfast is ready."

"We're on vacation. Why can't we have dessert first thing in the morning?"

She smiled as she piled food onto their plates and sat down, "Eat your food, dirty boy."

They ate in comfortable silence, then spent the day exploring the surrounding woods and making love. That evening, after showering, Logan used the small grill out back to fix dinner.

When he came back in, he noticed her staring out the window and grabbed her a beer from the fridge. When he walked over and handed it to her, she looked down at his hand as it connected with hers, and gasped as the memory Professor Xavier had drawn from her mind connected with her present day.

She dropped the beer and stumbled back as she blinked rapidly and shook her head. She looked around, and it finally all came crashing back.

This was it...this was the place she'd had glimpses of during her session with he professor. The tapestry...the stone fireplace...the view...and the hand...the hand that handed her the Molson's. Large, calloused...strong...

"Marie! Are you alright?"

Her glossed over eyes slowly moved upwards to meet his, "We were here..."

Logan nodded slowly as he gingerly ushered her over to the couch, "Yeah...we ARE here..."

He wasn't sure if she was going crazy or was about to faint, so he just rubbed her back and watched as she confusedly shook her head and continued to frantically look around the room.

"We were here, Logan...just over 15 years ago. We were here, together. We lived here together!"

He furrowed his eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

"I woke up 15 years ago after 3 Mile Island, with no idea who I was or how I got there-"

Logan quickly held up a hand to cut her off, "Wait a second...15 years ago? Three Mile Island?" She nodded as he continued, "I...that's where I woke up...15 years ago with no recollection of who I was..."

"We...we were together."

He almost seemed unwilling to believe it as he shot out of his seat and began pacing, "But I didn't see you! I think I would have remembered seeing you."

"Well, I didn't necessarily wake up ON the island...I woke up at Remy's place-" Her voice trailed off as she shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, "He said I was alone...that I didn't have anyone with me...this doesn't make any sense."

Logan growled, "That fucking swamp rat knows something about you...about us! About our past! He's hiding something."

"Remy is a lot of things, but...hiding my past even though he knew how desperately I needed to know-"

"...sounds like something he would do if there was a decent enough self serving reason behind it."

Marie shrugged, "And what reason would that be?"

Logan softened his gaze when he turned to her before brushing his fingers over her cheek, "You."

* * *

**Sorry for the crazy long absence. Work, family and general craziness has taken up a lot of my time over these past couple of weeks. Please review, and I'll try to get this next (and last- I hope) chapter up soon!**


	17. Chapter 17

When Remy woke up the morning after Marie made her escape and realized she had never come back to their room, he began rushing around the mansion in an effort to locate her. After speaking to various students and staff members, who claimed they hadn't seen her since dinner the previous night, he rushed to the professor's office, "Professor Xavier...have you seen Marie?"

The professor barely glanced up from the stack of papers on his desk, "Not this morning."

"She never came back to our room last night and no one's seen her since dinner..."

The professor sighed, "I'm sure she is fine."

"How can you be sure? It's like she vanished over night! Can't you use that big metal room to find out where she is?"

Professor Xavier dropped the pen he'd been using to grade his papers, "I can tell you that she is safe, but that is all. It would be unethical for me to tell you anymore."

"Unethical? She's my girlfriend!"

"Be that as it may, Gambit, she is a grown woman who should be allowed to freely leave and tell her whereabouts to whomever she likes."

Remy grumbled something and stomped out of the office.

Hours later, he entered the kitchen to find Jean comforting an angry looking Scott. Storm politely nodded toward Remy as she sat across from the two, sipping tea and looking on sympathetically.  
Of course, the telepath avoided Remy's gaze as she spoke to her fiance, "Honey, I'm sure it'll be fine. You know he'll return it."

"That's not the point! The point is, he took it without my permission."

Scott jumped up and rushed out of the kitchen with Jean following close behind. When they were gone, Remy nodded his head toward the recently vacated seats and spoke to Storm, "What's up with him?"

Storm sighed as she stood and put her empty tea mug in the sink, "Apparently, Logan took Scott's bike last night and it hasn't been seen since. Scott is a little weird about his motorcycle and Logan isn't exactly his favorite person...so he's a bit tense."

Storm left Remy standing there, looking shocked.

Obviously, the time line matched up perfectly...wherever Marie was, Logan was.

He knew what they were doing...he just wondered what they were saying. If they were just sleeping together, he still believed he could undo some of the damage their sleeping together might have done...but if they had finally connected two and two together...he was screwed, as was any chance of keeping his relationship with Marie alive.

At this point...only time would tell.

* * *

Unfortunately, their time at the cabin was cut short, but a brief call to "hippie lady" ensured that it would be available for her use whenever they requested.

Logan had a feeling that they would be back soon and often.

The ride back was quiet and seemingly much shorter than the ride there. Each of them took turns driving and only stopped when the needle was dancing on E to fill up on gas.

When they crossed the New York state line, she noticed Logan cracking his metal plated knuckles in preparation for an altercation.

In response, Marie pulled the truck over to the side of the road and turned in her seat to look him square in the eye, "I know you're seethin' baby...but you gotta promise me we're gonna talk to him first before we go jumpin' to conclusions."

He slowly nodded, "Fine. I'll talk to him first."

"Promise?"

He nodded, "Promise."

Unfortunately for Remy, the long drive had done nothing to calm Logan's anger with the situation. He now whole heartedly believed that he and Marie shared a life together and that Remy was aware of that fact.

For the remainder of the drive, Marie continued to reiterate her point of making sure they talk to Remy first and Logan, in turn, continued to agree and reassure her.

They pulled up the driveway of the school and slowly got out.

Logan took Marie's hand and practically pulled her into the school. Remy, who must've seen them pull up through the window, rushed down the stairs, "Where the hell have you two been?"

When Remy reached the bottom of the stairs, Logan let go of Marie's hand and smirked, "We were in Canada...how's it goin', gumbo?"

Before Remy could reply or react, Logan suddenly punched Remy square in the face, successfully knocking the cajun to the ground to lay in an unconscious heap. Marie screamed when Logan's fist made contact with Remy's face and covered her mouth with both hands as she watched her now-ex boyfriend hit the ground.

She recovered from her shock in time to hit Logan in the shoulder, "You promised you would talk to him first!"

"I did. I said eight whole fuckin' words to the bastard. You never specified how much or what we would talk about..."

Marie started to retort, but Scott, Jean and the professor entered the foyer to take in the scene, "What in heaven's name happened here?"

"Remy ran into my fist."

Scott's jaw clenched as he and Jean leaned down to assist the unconscious cajun.

The professor narrowed his eyes at Logan, "Both of you...my office."

Five minutes later, they sat opposite a perturbed looking Xavier, who, for the first time since meeting him, seemed at a loss for what to say.

Finally, the angered telepath clasped his hands together and looked down, "I would ask what that disgusting behavior was about, but you both projected so loudly as soon as you entered the mansion, I believe I've been filled in quite enough."

Logan leaned back in his seat, "So you know why I had to lay the asshole out."

"As it stands, under other circumstances and in another place, I would have understood that barbaric behavior, but this is a school! There are children here who have no other parental guidance other than what we as teachers and guardians offer! This is not the kind of example I want my students exposed to."

Marie sighed, "No offense, professor, but I think it's been pretty clear from day one that Logan was a bit...unconventional in his approach to-well, everything..."

Before the professor could respond, Scott entered, "Remy is with Jean in the med lab. She says he's got a concussion...but I guess that's to be expected when an animal with a metal skeleton sucker punches you."

"Bite your tongue or you'll be next, Scooter" Logan growled.

Marie reached over and put a hand on his tense bicep as the professor rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Scott, please give us a moment."

Of course, the team leader followed the request without hesitation. When he was gone, the professor looked back up at Logan and Marie, "I'm sorry that Remy put you both through so much, but physical violence is not an acceptable means of problem solving within these walls..."

"You've made that point, Chuck. Fine. It won't happen again. We done?"

* * *

When Remy fully recovered, he made plans to leave the mansion. Luckily, Logan was on a beer run when he chose to say his goodbyes to Marie.

He knocked on Logan's...now "their" room door and waited anxiously until she opened it. When she did, she greeted him with cold eyes and crossed arms, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm bout to head to the airport...just wanted to say goodbye."

She gave a quick nod, "Goodbye. That all?" Remy couldn't help but raise a brow at her coldness. Marie took note, "You're expecting more?"

"Well...yeah. We've been together for so long, I figured you'd give me a goodbye that was more appropriate to the time we spent together."

"Oh. You want an appropriate goodbye for what we've been through?"

As soon as he nodded, she slapped him across his face, "There. For someone who tricked me into staying with them and lied to me from day one...I think that's a perfectly appropriate goodbye! For years, I suffered, not knowing who I was, grasping for straws...hoping and praying that someone...anyone would help me discover who I was...and here you were, the man who supposedly loved me...holding back from me because it suited you."

Remy clenched his teeth, "I loved you. I knew I could love you better than he could..."

"THAT wasn't for you to decide...and I can't begin to tell you how wrong you were. With him...I feel more love, passion and satisfaction than I did in our entire 15 years..."

Those words were the final straw. He could no longer subject himself to this much deserved punishment...so he left.

When Logan returned, he found Marie sitting near the window sill. He handed her a beer and laid a quick kiss to her neck, "Somethin' wrong, darlin'?"

She smiled and looked up at him, "Not anymore..."

* * *

Since the trip to the cabin naturally jogged some of their memories, the professor was able to access just a bit more information from their past that had been previously hidden.

During his latest mind reading session, he gave them the name of a mutant that appeared in both of their memories, so, weeks later, they were loading up a vehicle for yet another road trip to attempt to hunt down a mutant by the name of John Wraithe.

Marie stretched out in the front seat of the SUV and smiled over at Logan as he drove, "You excited about our trip?"

He smirked, "Planning on doin' some gambling while you're in Vegas, darlin'?"

"After we find this John guy, I'm sure we'll have time to find out there's more to Vegas than gambling and 24 hour wedding chapels."

Logan tried to control his facial expression as he prayed she didn't notice the ring box bulging from his left jacket pocket.

* * *

**THE END**

**Sorry for the long absence. Life is crazy busy at the moment, so I've barely had the opportunity to work on anything "for fun", so please forgive me! Sorry I wasn't able to invest more into this ending either. I hope Remy's punishment was good enough for you!**


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